B.C. minister condemns hate crimes after Nazi symbol spray-painted on bridge

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s Indigenous relations minister is condemning “repeated acts of racist vandalism” in Port Alberni after someone spray painted a Nazi symbol over a message of ‘every child matters’ on a bridge in the city.

Spencer Chandra Herbert says in a statement that hate crimes and hate speech have no place in Port Alberni, the province or anywhere in Canada.

He says the most recent attack included the use of swastikas, which are triggering to many.

The statement notes it is the third time Orange Bridge has been defaced and Herbert says the province stands with Tseshaht First Nation and community leaders in opposing such crimes.

He says he is concerned by “the steady rise of residential school denialism in B.C.,” saying it seeks to erase or distort the truth of survivors who “should be supported to heal.”

The Tseshaht First Nation announced in 2023 that it had detected 17 suspected unmarked graves at the site of Alberni Indian Residential School, which operated from 1900 to 1973.

Herbert says his government is committed to ensuring B.C. is a place where everyone feels safe.

“This repeated act of hate does not stop this work or erase the truth,” he says in the statement.

“It only reminds us that we all have more learning to do and that we need to work together as a broader community to stand against hate. Now, more than ever, we must lean in.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2026.

The Canadian Press