Hometown hero called racist and cancelled from paramedic duties after advocating to save Powell River’s name

Hometown hero called racist and cancelled from paramedic duties after advocating to save Powell River’s name
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In today’s report, I sit down to interview Ted Vizzutti, a well-respected fireman turned paramedic… turned racist? Well, that last label is only according to allegations made against Vizzutti, allegations that ultimately led to him leaving a job he loved—saving lives—in order to prevent the woke witch trial against him from determining his professional fate.

Vizzutti had served the Powell River community as a first responder for nearly 40 years before his nightmare began in the form of a push to have the name of his city changed. Powell River was named back in 1881 after a Dr. Israel Powell, who was also a former superintendent of Indian affairs. Critics of the name, such as the Tla’amin Nation leadership, say that keeping the name contributes to “the devastating legacy the actions of Israel Powell have had and continue to have on the Tla’amin people.”

Advocates who strongly oppose the name change pursuit, which is the majority of the community according to a poll by Powell River’s Joint Working Group, argue that the name Powell River represents much more now including the area’s rich and scenic history, with beautiful trails along the coastline and home to what was Western Canada’s first paper mill.

“This is our hometown,” Vizzutti, whose family has lived in Powell River for four generations, told Rebel News. “We’re all here,” he added.

Vizzutti says others in a group called “Concerned Powell River Citizens” began to advocate at City Hall and throughout the community to save the name and were labeled “chuds” and “proud boys” for doing so. Vizzutti also says he was blindsided to be kicked off the job and told by the BC Emergency Health Services union he was under investigation for “circulating racist, anti-Indigenous content” and referring to Indigenous people as “Indians.”

Click on the full report to hear more about who Israel Powell was and about Vizzutti’s plight. Rebel News reached out to Powell River City for comment regarding the battle over the name and did not receive a response by the time the report was published.

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