TELUS’ commitment to placekeeping
Creating culturally responsive spaces for Indigenous team members and customers within TELUS offices and stores is fundamental to our ongoing reconciliation commitment. These initiatives aim to cultivate inclusive spaces where Indigenous team members and customers can thrive while providing meaningful opportunities for all to learn about and respect the traditional territories where we work. To date, we have redesigned three TELUS spaces as part of our commitment to placekeeping, with TELUS Harbour’s the Place of Many Rivers being our first project.
Learn more about the stories behind the incredible artists’ who have contributed to the three placekeeping initiatives by visiting telus.com/placekeeping.
TELUS House Burnaby
Our second placekeeping initiative launched in 2024 at TELUS House Burnaby, located on the traditional and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
The space includes the installation of nine distinctive artworks, now prominently featured on the main floor and lobby, reflecting the themes of transformation and interconnectivity across the territories.
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Connected Spirits
is inspired by the concept of interconnectivity, aligning with the tools provided by TELUS to connect the world. The artwork features a salmon and an eagle forming an interconnected spiral, symbolizing unity, complemented by surrounding imagery of winds and waters.
Darryl Blyth, Musqueam Nation
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Grandmothers
This contemporary design is a mural honouring our grandmothers.
They live in their houses, close to each other. They look out the window towards the two Twin Sisters on the North Shore; many people in the Lower Mainland call them “The Lions” and they hold significant spiritual value in Coastal Salish Indigenous culture.
Thomas Cannell, Musqueam Nation
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Rebirth
Butterflies, with their unparalleled beauty, hold a significant place in the lives of Musqueam and Coast Salish Peoples and cultures worldwide. Their aesthetic appeal and profound symbolism make them essential in our cultural narratives.
Thomas Cannell, Musqueam Nation
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Seasonal Journey of Spring
Olivia was inspired by the history of the place (Burnaby area), and seasonal movements. Tsleil-Waututh ancestors would use trails and the river (Brunette River) to go to the Fraser River for eulachon spawning during the Spring. She wanted to showcase that journey, with the connection to family, the land, waters and animals. With her piece the take away she hopes viewers would have is thinking about the interconnectedness that her people had worked to keep in different places and seasons.
Olivia George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation
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Ocean Seaweed and Peaches
Toni hopes that viewers will want to touch the piece and feel the ocean current as it flows in and out from the shore.
Feel the seaweed ……
the wonder of the ocean ……..
the joy of the ocean ……
my love of the ocean.
Ocean Seaweed and Peaches. Toni’s journey to completing this piece began with a chance introduction to the art of weaving.
Toni Lee Pearce Mulkey, Squamish Nation
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Spirit of The Salish Lands
draws its inspiration from the traditional lands and wildlife surrounding Deer Lake and the Coast Salish Territories. Utilizing Adobe Illustrator, Grant digitally crafted panels for this mural, incorporating traditional Coast Salish motifs and techniques. The narrative behind the mural installation aims to encourage employees to embrace the freedom symbolized by a butterfly in their work environment, fostering a connection with nature and cultural traditions while promoting teamwork and communication, ultimately serving as ambassadors for TELUS.
Grant Shaver, Squamish Nation
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Swewkw’welh tl’a S7apelek (Chiefs Blanket of Chief Capilano)
Chief Capilano was able to bring together many Coast Salish chiefs to bring a delegation to London, England to meet King Edward VII in 1906 to discuss many of the same issues that we are dealing with today, land, the treatment of Indigenous peoples here in Canada, etc.
Yususult hopes that when this work is viewed that people will take the time to educate themselves about the land that they live on, the Indigenous people who were here before colonization and the many issues that affect us today.
Yususult [Rosemarie Williams], Squamish Nation
TELUS Retail Park Royal
In 2025, TELUS collaborated with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) to launch the first placekeeping initiative in TELUS’ Park Royal store located on X̱wemelch’stn (Capilano Indian Reserve No. 5) lands. Guided by Elder Deborah Baker, the TELUS team collaborated with artist Chief Kwakwee Baker and photographer Eyoälha Baker to create unique artwork that tells stories from their community.
Chief Kwakwee Baker provided the design for the storefront and column within the store titled, “Wa Ihtima ta Swa7am” (“The Ways of our Elders”).
The lightbox created by Eyoälha Baker on the interior wall of the storefront is a photo collage illustrating a rigid grid with each image telling its own story about the powerful and unstoppable resilience and flourishing regrowth of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw lands, people and culture.
Members of the TELUS team gathered with Elder Deborah and the artists to celebrate the reopening of the store in July of this year.
“Chief Kwakwee Baker and Eyoälha Baker created amazing art pieces that reflect the world in which we live in today and yet brings a sense of nostalgia by reflecting on the past that brings us full circle to the present. Their beauty and creativity is absolutely inspiring.”
Elder Deborah Baker, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw
