MV Island Gwawis

[1] On January 11, 2022, Island 6 was christened and renamed Island Gwawis by BC Ferries Director of Fleet Operations and Strategy, and First People's Cultural Council Special Advisor Cathi Charles Wherry.

"Gwawis" means "raven of the sea" in the Kwakwaka'wakw indigenous language.

On the day after the name was released, Chief Mike Wyse issued a statement saying that he was "saddened and frustrated" that the ferry company "decided to choose a racist and discriminatory path riddled with colonial acts that is woefully inflammatory and offensive to building a relationship between" them and BC Ferries.

The indigenous group believed that the vessel should have been named in the Snuneymuxw language, as the ferry would be sailing in their traditional waters.

BC Ferries noted that vessels are no longer named by their service regions, and are standardized, likely to be moved around the fleet when needed.