The City of Port Alberni finally has a new welcome sign.
On March 5, 2025, a "Welcome to Port Alberni" sign was installed on city-owned land at the corner of Highway 4 and John Street, adjacent to the Walmart parking lot.
"I can't wait to leave and drive back into Port Alberni just to see it," Councillor Cindy Solda laughed after the sign went up on Wednesday.
The discussion around a welcome sign dates back to 2020, when Port Alberni city council at the time decided to budget for the installation of a welcome sign at the city's entrance. Although a "Welcome to the Alberni Valley" sign can be found near the bottom of The Hump on Highway 4, Solda explained that this sign was actually a project of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) and the late Cherry Creek director Glenn Wong.
"Port Alberni's always wanted a sign within the limits of Port Alberni," said Solda. "Now you can see this is the City of Port Alberni, and this is what we're all about. You've got the salmon, you've got everything that tells you about our community, which is perfect."
The initial design for the sign came from Alberni Valley resident Susan Roth, who submitted a conceptual drawing back in 2020 for a metal sign that included layered trees with shadowing, a bear and simple words welcoming visitors and locals alike to Port Alberni.
Roth says she was inspired by the tall evergreen trees, wildlife and mountains that surround the Alberni Valley.
“I feel honoured that my work was chosen as the foundational art for such an important project,” said Roth.
The City of Port Alberni reached out to local First Nations to incorporate Indigenous elements to the sign. Connie Watts — a mixed media artist, interior designer and project manager — was selected in consultation with both Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations.
"We wanted to look at the idea of what it meant for us to welcome people into our culture, our knowledge and our ways," explained Watts.
The sign includes images of a thunderbird and whale, which are both "powerful" animals for Nuu-chah-nulth people, said Watts. The sign also includes images of salmon and water, playing with the relationship between salt water and fresh water.
"The water goes through here, with the salmon going up from the ocean and into the Tsuma-as (Somass) River," explained Watts. "And then, of course, the wind flows into the water. My grandmother often used to say if the wind's blowing up the valley, we're getting a big storm."
Watts also added images of a bear and her cubs, which represent the families in the Alberni Valley.
"It's that idea of our children being the most sacred thing to us, and the strength for our people," said Watts.
As part of the city’s path to reconciliation, and to acknowledge the traditional lands of local nations, the foundation of the sign is adorned with a formal land acknowledgment of the unceded traditional territories of Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations.
When the sign was put out to tender, it came back "significantly" over budget. Solda said it was expected to cost around $300,000. But with some design adjustments — and "a lot of donations," said Solda — the city was able to install it at a cost of $40,000 instead. The metal sign was constructed by DBA Silencing and installed by city workers and contractors.
"A lot of people came together to bring this to fruition," said Solda. "That's what Port Alberni is all about. It's community."
At this time, the welcome sign doesn't include any lighting. But Solda suggested that this could change with the construction of a new Microtel in the area.
"That will change the whole area," she said.
There is, of course, another “Welcome to the Alberni Valley” sign in the city's history. The wooden sign, designed by Kim Schroeder and carved by Elmar Schultes, used to be located outside of the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce, but was taken down when the chamber built a new visitor’s centre on the highway in 2011.
The sign is currently being stored in the city's public works yard, said Solda. Council wants to eventually put it on display as a piece of public art, but hasn't decided on a location yet.
"That sign is beautiful," said Solda. "But it's a cost, too. That's a discussion to have at another time.".
