c̓ris Jordan Coble, a councillor for Westbank First Nation (WFN), gives a state of the nation presentation to members of the Greater Westside Board of Trade and other dignitaries in syilx territory on Feb. 11. Photo by Aaron Hemens
During a talk to the local board of trade, a Westbank First Nation (WFN) councillor reminded businesses that any investments in the community should be mindful of the wellbeing of Youth and future generations.
“The work that’s being done as communities — and that includes everyone in this room — is empowering our children to grow up to be proud of who they are, where they come from and what they can strive to be in the future,” c̓ris Jordan Coble told the Greater Westside Board of Trade.
“All these investments, all this growth, all this planning and visioning for the future, it’s all for the wellbeing of our next generations to come.”
Coble made these comments during a State of the Nation presentation in syilx territory on Feb. 11, filling in for WFN y̓ilmixʷm (Chief) simo Robert Louie, who was away at the time.
Coble provided members of the Greater Westside Board of Trade with updates on WFN business ventures and future projects, and spoke about the responsibilities that all local leaders hold — such as maintaining healthy water and land, and properly managing how waste is handled.
The Greater Westside Board of Trade is an association representing around 400 businesses operating on WFN homelands. In addition to association members, a number of dignitaries in attendance for Coble’s presentation included WFN councillors, and elected officials from both the City of Kelowna and City of West Kelowna.
“We live in paradise. But it’s a responsibility that we have to make sure that this paradise continues to be a paradise for our future generations,” Coble said.
“As we continue to grow and expand and evolve our communities, I really want to emphasize that it is still a responsibility to be a good neighbour. To look out for one another. But also, look out for the land.”
A member community of the Okanagan Nation Alliance, WFN has been under a self-government agreement for more than 20 years. The First Nation has their own sets of laws around conservation, education, culture and language, and more across 5,340 acres of reserve lands.
c̓ris Jordan Coble, a councillor for Westbank First Nation (WFN), gives a state of the nation presentation to members of the Greater Westside Board of Trade and other dignitaries in syilx territory on Feb. 11. Photo by Aaron Hemens
According to Coble’s presentation, there are 828 businesses operating on WFN reserve lands, with 124 of them being businesses owned by First Nation members. The Snyatan Shopping Centre, for example, is 100 per cent owned by WFN’s Ntityix Development Corporation.
There are more than 12,000 non-nation members living on WFN lands, and 914 band members.
Economic growth has also been significant. A graphic that Coble shared revealed that the assessed value of WFN lands this year is measured at approximately $4 billion. In 2016, that number was just under $1.5 billion.
While noting that WFN “takes a lot of pride in our growth and our development,” he said that it’s important to be mindful, again, of community water sources and where waste goes.
“How do we prepare for that growth and change as they come?” he asked.
As far as waste goes, he pointed to Ntityix Development Corporation’s partnership with Brenda Renewables, which is a regional organic composting facility. He highlighted how organic waste, when converted into soil, can be turned into a revenue generator.
“We’re pretty innovative people — we have been for thousands of years. And if you can make money off of waste, well, we’re going to go ahead and do it,” he said.
Coble also gave an update on a separate major WFN initiative that is still in the proposal stages, which is a wind power project with Innergex Renewable Energy Inc.
After being selected as a participant for BC Hydro’s Call To Power initiative, WFN’s project would see the development of 25 to 30 wind turbines within their Area of Responsibility, providing power to up to 40,000 homes.
WFN’s Area of Responsibility stretches nearly 400 km, running west of “Peachland” along the border of the Thompson-Nicola region, to the east in “Slocan” in the Arrow Lakes area.
The proposal is subject to a WFN membership referendum, and traditional land use studies are being undertaken. Should the proposal succeed, the wind turbines could be in operation by 2031.
“We want to make sure that we have recognition of greener energy initiatives — greener solutions,” said Coble. “But we also recognize that if you put a bunch of wind mills up on our lands, it’s going to affect our lands — it’s going to affect our animals, our hunters and our gatherers.”
He said that it’s important to be investing in opportunities that reflect syilx values: “looking after the land, from now into the future for many generations to come.”
“This work doesn’t matter much if we’re not investing in it for our children, for our Youth, for our young people and for our wellbeing,” he said.
“If we forget that we’re doing this for our kids, then what’s the point?”
He acknowledged that it’s not just WFN members who are upholding the responsibility of looking out for their Youth — it’s the nation’s partners and collaborators as well.
“It’s everybody. Many of you in the room help lift up our children and support them, as we look towards the future,” he said.
He noted that he and many other WFN members benefited from past generations investing in them, something that he said should always be at the centre of community priorities.
“I can only speak my [nsyilxcən] language because of the investment our community put into me to learn that language,” he said.
“Everything that I know to be true, came to me through language; came to me through teachings from our Elders; and all the additives from the education system. Good partnerships and good relationships all contribute to my well being, to my knowledge.”
By looking out for the children, “our future generations will be good and healthy,” he said.
“Our kids are beautiful kids, and they are proud to be sqilx’w (Indigenous). That’s not something I could say when I was a young child.”
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