diff --git a/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Source/ExpressionCompiler/Binders/PlaceholderLocalBinder.vb b/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Source/ExpressionCompiler/Binders/PlaceholderLocalBinder.vb
index b80e9f0fc0e53d5e5389405428a54eb2e7979522..6832d0e7a98d7e8dd3abe951d4cf28cea075cef1 100644
--- a/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Source/ExpressionCompiler/Binders/PlaceholderLocalBinder.vb
+++ b/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Source/ExpressionCompiler/Binders/PlaceholderLocalBinder.vb
@@ -76,14 +76,16 @@ Namespace Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.VisualBasic.ExpressionEvaluator
             Dim typeChar As String = Nothing
             Dim specialType = GetSpecialTypeForTypeCharacter(identifier.GetTypeCharacter(), typeChar)
             Dim type = Compilation.GetSpecialType(If(specialType = SpecialType.None, SpecialType.System_Object, specialType))
-            ' NOTE: Don't create the local with the canonical name since we want it to have the user's text in diagnostic messages.
+            ' TODO (acasey): don't canonicalize name (GH #878)
+            Dim canonicalName = Canonicalize(identifier.GetIdentifierText())
             Dim local = LocalSymbol.Create(
                 _containingMethod,
                 Me,
                 identifier,
                 LocalDeclarationKind.ImplicitVariable,
-                type)
-            _implicitDeclarations.Add(Canonicalize(local.Name), local)
+                type,
+                canonicalName)
+            _implicitDeclarations.Add(canonicalName, local)
             If local.Name.StartsWith("$", StringComparison.Ordinal) Then
                 diagnostics.Add(ERRID.ERR_IllegalChar, identifier.GetLocation())
             End If
@@ -132,7 +134,7 @@ Namespace Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.VisualBasic.ExpressionEvaluator
             End Select
         End Function
 
-        Friend Shared Function Canonicalize(name As String) As String
+        Private Shared Function Canonicalize(name As String) As String
             Return CaseInsensitiveComparison.ToLower(name)
         End Function
 
diff --git a/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Source/ExpressionCompiler/Rewriters/LocalDeclarationRewriter.vb b/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Source/ExpressionCompiler/Rewriters/LocalDeclarationRewriter.vb
index 32078614149df45ee5013457ee40a9e8f86494c0..72386cad25c35b3a07ce89bec5362eb9ecc82b61 100644
--- a/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Source/ExpressionCompiler/Rewriters/LocalDeclarationRewriter.vb
+++ b/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Source/ExpressionCompiler/Rewriters/LocalDeclarationRewriter.vb
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ Namespace Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.VisualBasic.ExpressionEvaluator
             ' CreateVariable(type As Type, name As String)
             Dim method = PlaceholderLocalSymbol.GetIntrinsicMethod(compilation, ExpressionCompilerConstants.CreateVariableMethodName)
             Dim type = New BoundGetType(syntax, New BoundTypeExpression(syntax, local.Type), typeType)
-            Dim name = New BoundLiteral(syntax, ConstantValue.Create(PlaceholderLocalBinder.Canonicalize(local.Name)), stringType)
+            Dim name = New BoundLiteral(syntax, ConstantValue.Create(local.Name), stringType)
             Dim expr = New BoundCall(
                 syntax,
                 method,
diff --git a/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Test/ExpressionCompiler/DeclarationTests.vb b/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Test/ExpressionCompiler/DeclarationTests.vb
index fe4133c4b7d4269f829448ef5deb41eea4bcdc65..b56c95301dd02f9e80fb66b024cdee3e19bea753 100644
--- a/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Test/ExpressionCompiler/DeclarationTests.vb
+++ b/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Test/ExpressionCompiler/DeclarationTests.vb
@@ -819,7 +819,7 @@ End Class"
   // Code size       16 (0x10)
   .maxstack  1
   IL_0000:  ldstr      ""x""
-  IL_0005:  call       ""Function <>x.<>GetObjectByAlias(String) As Object""
+  IL_0005:  call       ""Function Microsoft.VisualStudio.Debugger.Clr.IntrinsicMethods.GetObjectByAlias(String) As Object""
   IL_000a:  castclass  ""String""
   IL_000f:  ret
 }
@@ -861,11 +861,11 @@ End Class"
   IL_0000:  ldtoken    ""Object""
   IL_0005:  call       ""Function System.Type.GetTypeFromHandle(System.RuntimeTypeHandle) As System.Type""
   IL_000a:  ldstr      ""x""
-  IL_000f:  call       ""Sub <>x.<>CreateVariable(System.Type, String)""
+  IL_000f:  call       ""Sub Microsoft.VisualStudio.Debugger.Clr.IntrinsicMethods.CreateVariable(System.Type, String)""
   IL_0014:  ldstr      ""x""
-  IL_0019:  call       ""Function <>x.<>GetVariableAddress(Of Object)(String) As Object""
+  IL_0019:  call       ""Function Microsoft.VisualStudio.Debugger.Clr.IntrinsicMethods.GetVariableAddress(Of Object)(String) As Object""
   IL_001e:  ldstr      ""x""
-  IL_0023:  call       ""Function <>x.<>GetObjectByAlias(String) As Object""
+  IL_0023:  call       ""Function Microsoft.VisualStudio.Debugger.Clr.IntrinsicMethods.GetObjectByAlias(String) As Object""
   IL_0028:  call       ""Function System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.GetObjectValue(Object) As Object""
   IL_002d:  stind.ref
   IL_002e:  ret
diff --git a/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Test/ExpressionCompiler/PseudoVariableTests.vb b/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Test/ExpressionCompiler/PseudoVariableTests.vb
index 24281a2e336c93803c98c4ee53a80242bdfdafa3..7ae99aa6c966ab0e06a41c72f5ce0e631894ff3d 100644
--- a/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Test/ExpressionCompiler/PseudoVariableTests.vb
+++ b/src/ExpressionEvaluator/VisualBasic/Test/ExpressionCompiler/PseudoVariableTests.vb
@@ -462,7 +462,8 @@ End Class"
                 expr:="$ReturnValue(Of Object)",
                 resultProperties:=resultProperties,
                 errorMessage:=errorMessage)
-            Assert.Equal("(1) : error BC32045: '$ReturnValue' has no type parameters and so cannot have type arguments.", errorMessage)
+            ' TODO (acasey): don't canonicalize name (GH #878)
+            Assert.Equal("(1) : error BC32045: '$returnvalue' has no type parameters and so cannot have type arguments.", errorMessage)
 
             Const source = "
 Class C