CORD board meetings to open with nod to Sylix

Central Okanagan politicians plan to begin all their future meetings by paying their respects to Indigenous people.

Reading an as-yet unwritten statement recognizing the Sylix nation at the start of every regional district board meeting will help promote reconciliation, they say.

“I think that would be a nice addition to how we open our board meetings,” Gail Given, a Kelowna city councillor and chairwoman of the Central Okanagan regional district, said Tuesday. “I’ll be quite pleased to do that.”

The statement should recognize Indigenous people as “the founding citizens prior to colonialism,” Given suggested at the regional district board meeting.

A proposal to begin the meetings by acknowledging the regional district is located within the traditional territory of the Sylix people was made by Tom Konek, a non-voting member of the board who represents the Westbank First Nation.

“It would go a long way with our community members, our chief and council, and of course myself,” Konek said.

The Kelowna-based Central Okanagan Public Schools system, like some other local government bodies, begins its meetings with such a statement. According to meeting minutes, it reads: “The Central Okanagan Board of Education acknowledged that this meeting was being held on the Traditional Territory of the Okanagan People.”

Twelve local politicians from Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland sit on the regional district board.

A motion directing regional chief administrator Brian Reardon to write a proposed statement recognizing the Sylix people was passed unanimously, with little comment, at Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’ll be very pleased to bring back a staff report (with) some suggested language that would introduce this right into the procedure bylaw, so we can do this sooner rather than later,” Reardon said.

It w ould go a long way with our community members, our chief and council, and of course myself. Tom Konek