The people behind a new condo development in the east-end Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district is pulling its ad campaign, after the name it chose, Osha, raised hackles among Kahnawake Mohawks.
Osha is meant to refer to Osha Aga, from which the word Hochelaga comes from. Promoters had said they had cited an anecdote on the naming of the area from Mohawk chief Billy Two Rivers, even though neither he nor any other Kahnawake Mohawks were consulted.
A billboard promoting the development — which has since been vandalized — is also being withdrawn. It depicts a meeting between Jacques Cartier and the chief of the Iroqouis village of Hochelaga in 1535.
A marketing official is quoted in La Presse as saying the objective of the campaign was not to offend anyone, and that they have removed any reference to Indigenous peoples on its web site.