Westbank First Nation (WFN) is asking the Regional District Central Okanagan (RDCO) to explore options for making regional governance more inclusive of Indigenous peoples.
The request was in a letter sent to the RDCO board. It’s in response to a reconciliation framework presentation make to WFN chief and council on Dec. 19, 2022.
The letter quotes article 5 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act which states, “Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State.”
WFN councillor Jordan Coble, who sits on the RDCO board as a non-voting director, said it is an opportunity for the district to be a champion of reconciliation.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of work done so far in the past few years to get us to a better space of equity and inclusiveness.”
He added WFN wants to make sure the process keeps moving forward.
“It’s a big boulder to move up a giant hill. The only way it’s going to get done is if we all do it together.”
The letter reads that WFN is committed to partnering with the RDCO and the province to explore what full and fair representation at the RDCO Board would look like as an item toward meaningful reconciliation.
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