06/17/2026
The Sidney Museum and Archives is pleased to announce the completion of the Waterfront Signage Project. Thirteen new interpretive signs have been installed along Sidney’s waterfront walkway to share information about local history, ecology, and W̱SÁNEĆ culture with the community.
Members of the public are invited to celebrate this accomplishment at an unveiling ceremony on Tuesday, June 30 at 11:00 a.m. at Beacon Park in Sidney. Representatives from the Sidney Museum and Archives and the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations will be speaking, in addition to other local dignitaries. A presentation by W̱SÁNEĆ drummers and dancers will close the ceremony.
The Waterfront Signage Project received initial funding from the Province of British Columbia’s 150 Time Immemorial Grant administered by Heritage BC. Its completion represents the culmination of years of dedicated work by Sidney Museum and Archives staff to revitalize the aging signs first installed in 2009.
The goal of the project was to replace the weather-worn signs and update the content with stories and experiences of historically underrepresented communities. Sidney locals and visitors alike are encouraged to stroll along Sidney’s waterfront walkway and discover something new about the Saanich Peninsula/W̱SÁNEĆ.
“From the beginning, the Sidney Museum's goal was to build upon the success of the original panels by allowing for more diverse stories to be told,” said Michael Goodchild, Executive Director of the Sidney Museum and Archives. “The Saanich Peninsula has a rich history shaped by a variety of economic, cultural, and natural forces. These updated waterfront signs, created in partnership with a variety of local businesses and non-profits, celebrate this diverse history while providing a more complete understanding of how the past continues to shape our present.”
Three new signs were prepared in collaboration with the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council to interpret traditional W̱SÁNEĆ stories. These include SX̱IÁM E TŦE S0X̱E - The Clam Creation Story, ṮEṮÁĆES - Our Relatives of the Deep, and The Legend of ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱. Additionally, the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board provided SENĆOŦEN language and traditional knowledge vetting for each of the 13 signs to ensure that the Sidney Museum accurately represented W̱SÁNEĆ culture and worldviews.
“Seeing these installed along the waterfront is significant. This is meaningful cultural place-making—ensuring that W̱SÁNEĆ stories, language, and presence are visible on the landscape,” said ȻELOȽEMKEN Gordon Elliott, Director of Operations of the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council. “It helps create a deeper understanding for both community members and visitors, grounding people in the history of this territory and reinforcing that these are living stories, not just historical ones.”
The Sidney Museum and Archives also collaborated with the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea on two signs, Salish Sea Ecosystem and Life on the Shoreline – ȾIDES, to represent the sea life that surrounds our community.
Two new topics include Women's History on the Saanich Peninsula/W̱SÁNEĆ and Chinatown in Sidney/SETINES. You can find the Chinatown panel in front of the Olde Post Office, right where the neighbourhood once stood, in the block between Fourth and Fifth Streets.
The remaining are updated panels that explore Sidney’s waterfront industries, marine trade and transportation, agricultural and rail history, and the infamous sinking of the SS Iroquois in 1911 whose panel is situated in its namesake Iroquois Park.
All 13 panels were designed and produced with the support of Peninsula Signs and Holy Cow Communication Design and are made with powder-coated aluminum and anti-graffiti film to allow for easy maintenance.
Information about the Waterfront Signage Project, including a walking tour map, will be available at the Sidney Museum located at 2423 Beacon Avenue in the lower level of the Olde Post Office building. The Sidney Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00am - 4:00pm. Admission is by donation.
The Sidney Museum would like to thank our project partners and funders including the Government of British Columbia's 150 Time Immemorial Grant, Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, Town of Sidney, W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, and Wsanec School Board. We also extend our gratitude to our project sponsors Barbara Bice, Burgener Research Inc., Diana Chown, Holmes Realty Ltd., Hughesman Morris Liversedge, CPA's, Jack & Sylvia Gin Foundation, Mark's, Sidney by the Sea Rotary, Salvador, Davis & Co., Saanich Peninsula Community Foundation, Sidney BIA Explore Sidney, and The Sidney Pier Hotel.
