Chief joins elite club
EDITOR’S NOTE: In recognition of Canada’s 150th anniversary, The Herald has been running historic stories from within our readership area. The series is presently showcasing prominent individuals, past and president, from our region. This article appeared originally this past December.
Clarence Louie, the tough-talking, pragmatic leader of the Osoyoos Indian Band, is now a Member of the Order of Canada. Louie was included in a list of 100 new appointments made by David Johnston, the Governor General of Canada, on Dec. 30, 2016.
Louie, who is also the CEO of the Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corporation, was recognized “for his innovative contributions to increasing economic opportunities for Indigenous communities.”
The band’s business activities include ownership and operation of various properties at Nk’Mip Resort, the Senkulmen Business Park, the Nk’Mip Campground and RV Park, Nk’Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course and the Canyon Desert Resort. The band’s property is also home to the Area 27 Motorsport Society which held its gala grand opening this past June.
The chief strongly encourages self-reliance among his 400-plus band members, many of whom live and work on OIB land.
“I am delighted to recognize these new recipients of the Order of Canada in this milestone year,” said the Governor General at the time of the announcement.
“Besides marking Canada’s 150th anniversary, 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Order. So let’s be inspired by the examples set by these remarkable Canadians and use this occasion to build a smarter and more caring country in which every individual can succeed to the greatest extent possible.”
Recognition by the national sovereign follows a similar accolade in 2006 when Louie was named to the Order of British Columbia.
Louie was first elected OIB chief in 1984 at the age of 24. Since that time he has been elected to 12 terms, losing only one election in 1989.
His efforts to lift the Osoyoos band have been widely recognized in Canada and the United States.
— In 1999, he received the Aboriginal Business Leader Award from All Nations Trust and Development Corporation.
— In 2000, the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO) named Louie the “Economic Developer of the Year”.
— In the same year, Louie was chosen to join the Governor General of Canada in the 2000 leadership tour.
— MacLean’s Magazine listed Chief Louie as one of the “Top 50 Canadians to Watch” in their January 2003 issue.
— In 2004, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation presented Chief Louie with the award for “Business and Community Development” — the highest honour the Aboriginal Community bestows upon its own achievers.
This fall, Louie will receive the Freedom of the Municipality Award from the Town of Oliver, the highest accolade a municipality can bestow on an individual. In November, the Vancouverbased Fraser Institute praised the OIB’s capitalization of economic opportunities available to it, including the band as a positive example in its Why First Nations Succeed study. Created in 1967, the Order of Canada, one of the nation’s highest civilian honours, recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Close to 7,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order. Appointments are made by the governor general on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada.