It’s been the St. John River since Champlain named it in the early 1600s…but for long before that it was the Wolastoq.
That’s the name the Maliseet gave it which means “the beautiful and bountiful river”…and they would like to see that name on it again, according to Brunswick News.
The Maliseet Grand Council of elders will meet with the Gallant Government tomorrow to discuss renaming the river. Chief Candice Paul of St. Mary’s First Nation doesn’t look at it as a name change. She says it always has been Wolastoq to her people and they would like it to go back to the original name. Paul said if governments agree it would be a good gesture towards reconcilliation.