The Spirit of Burnaby was commissioned by Burnaby citizen William McCarthy to honour his hometown and the ancestral and unceded territories of the h n q min m and Skwxwú7mesh speaking peoples. The carving is created from a 400-year old red cedar tree from Bella Bella, BC, harvested by the Heiltsuk First Nation. The main figures of the carving include Bear supporting Thunderbird, as well as smaller representations of Frog, Hummingbird and Salmon. The Talking Stick, or speaker’s staff, is held by the Bear and topped by the Eagle. These representations speak to shared leadership, wisdom, harmony and respect for all.