Tsilhqotin Nation celebrates 10th anniversary of landmark rights and title victory
Published July 4, 2024
British Columbia Minister of Indigenous Relations Murray Rankin says it is “really powerful” to be in the territory of the Tsilhqot’in First Nation to mark a Supreme Court of Canada case that changed the country’s history.
Rankin was joined by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, federal Indigenous Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Indigenous leaders, along with members of the First Nation in B.C.’s remote Nemiah Valley to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the ruling last week.
The Tsilhqot’in, representing six First Nation communities with a common culture and history, is the only Indigenous group to win recognition of its Aboriginal title to a specific area of land through Canada’s highest court.
Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Joe Alphonse, O.B.C., LL.D. (hon.), tribal chair, Tŝilhqot’in National Government, said their case gives hope to Indigenous peoples nationally and internationally and that the Nation has been working with Canada and B.C. to secure respect and recognition for their role within Canada in determining the future for their people.
“Today is a day to acknowledge the shift in Indian country. We are the original peoples of this land with this being the first case to fully recognize that on the ground in the form of title.”
City escapes wildfire threat
Published July 25, 2024
As the smoke cleared Tuesday morning, July 23, things were looking up for the city of Williams Lake: the BC Wildfire Service considered the Williams Lake River Valley wildfire as being held.
The view Tuesday was a stark change from Sunday evening (July 21) when the fire erupted, and even Monday morning as crews battled to gain control of the blaze which took a run at the city Sunday evening along Mackenzie Avenue.
A storm Monday evening brought lightning, but also cooler weather which was a relief from a long stretch of hot, dry temperatures.
“Following significant progress suppressing the fire on Monday morning, July 22, by the Williams Lake Fire Department, BC Wildfire Service crews, and assisting crews, BCWS downgraded the category of the fire from ‘out of control’ to ‘held’ on Tuesday morning, July 23,” stated the city in a release.
Bee Jay Auto Wrecking and Towing was hit hard by the fire, losing 170 vehicles. Owner Ken Preeper said he was very grateful for all the firefighters' efforts from the fire department to BC Wildfire.
The river valley just reopened to the public in the spring of 2023 after being closed for three years due to the 2020 floods which damaged city infrastructure and swiped out most of the bridges. Due to the fire it has been closed to the public again.
“All our bridges are still good,” Warnock reports, adding there was some damage to fencing around ponds as well as seven or eight power poles which burned in the wildfire started by a tree top falling on a power pole.
All of the poles had just recently been replaced.
Landslide on the Chilcotin River
Published Aug. 1 and Aug. 8, 2024
The Tsilhqot'in National Government (TNG) activated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Wednesday, July 31 after receiving reports of a landslide near Farwell Canyon west of Williams Lake sometime in the middle of the night between July 30-July 31.
DK Ilnicki noted on social media the Chilcotin River was completely blocked near Illnicki Ranch, about 20 km upstream from the Farwell Canyon Bridge.
An injured man who was camping and got caught in the slide was able to escape. He was successfully rescued and taken to hospital in Williams Lake.
His dog who was missing, was later found and reunited with the owner on Friday, Aug. 2 in Williams Lake.
The slide measured 30 metres high and 1,000 metres long and as the days unfolded more and more water was dammed up behind it.
On Monday, Aug. 5, the landslide released water and debris causing major erosion in its wake.
The province said flows out of the breach reached approximately 1,800 cubic metres per second.
Damaged extensively were the Pothole Ranch, an uninhabited homestead at Farwell Canyon and several acres of the historic Wineglass Ranch.
The TNG asked people not to fish for Chinook or sockeye salmon as they tried to support salmon passage back to their spawning grounds.
By the middle of September, the TNG and the TNG-led Emergency Salmon Taks Force reported a substantial increase in salmon passage past the site of the Chilcotin (Tŝilhqox) landslide, however the returns were at a critical level of conservation concern due to very low ocean returns and the ongoing severe impacts of the landslide.
Demolition in downtown Williams Lake of long-dormant lots
Published Sept. 12
A section of Oliver Street in downtown Williams Lake was getting a new look, as demolition and work to regrade some lots got underway.
Remains of four buildings were finally cleared away and an excavator filled and levelled an area left in limbo since 2019.
The buildings had been vacant since a structure fire in September 2019.
The fire began at 84 Oliver Street, which was at the time the Diamonds and Dust Entertainment Lounge (formerly the location of The Boot Cabaret). It was the third fire at the location in the same year, after what were reported as two arson attempts, one in May and one in August 2019.
While the third fire in September completely destroyed the Diamonds and Dust building, it also destroyed the neighbouring New World Cafe and led to water damage to a neighbouring barber shop, tattoo shop and restaurant.
Dog Creek slide area receives major face-lift
Published Oct. 24
Crews are working steadily alongside Dog Creek Road in Williams Lake, part of a Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure construction project to rehabilitate the historical Hodgson/Dog Creek Road slide area.
"We are reshaping this area and getting rid of all the old clay-style material - it's totally saturated," said Al Scharien, a contractor with Binnie Construction Services and former long-time MoTI employee, Thursday, Sept. 26.
He was supervising at the site while two excavator operators worked to remove and relocate debris and the driver of a large dump ruck deposited rocks and then waited to haul away some of the debris.
A huge portion of the slide material will be replaced with the rock - one metre thick at the bottom and half-way up to the top it will be half-a-metre thick, he said.
"We have 3,000 metres of rock to place. The rocks came from a quarry out on Mission Road - Onward Quarry."
Lorne Doerkson re-elected in Cariboo Chilcotin
Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Lorne Doerkson was re-elected as the MLA for the newly-reconfigured Cariboo-Chilcotin riding.
Doerkson, who previously served one term as MLA, had a comfortable victory over his only challenger in the riding, newcomer Michael Moses of the B.C. NDP Party.
A total of 19,305 votes were cast. Of those, Doerkson received 13,459 (69.72 per cent) and Moses got 5,846 (30.28 per cent).
“It’s been a pretty long campaign trail,” Doerkson said soon after the first results came in. “It’s been very exciting though, and I am so pleased to see the numbers coming in tonight.”
Doerkson was first elected as MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin in 2020, when he ran for the B.C. Liberal (later B.C. United) Party. On May 31, 2024 he announced that he was crossing the floor to join the B.C. Conservative Party, saying that he looked forward to joining “one of the largest grassroots movements” in B.C.’s political history.
He added that decision was one of the toughest of his life. “I am an MLA first. My goals haven’t changed one bit, I want to represent the riding the best way I know how and everybody in it.”
In November, Doerkson was appointed assistant deputy speaker by Conservatives leader John Rustad.
Woman in critical condition after Horsefly Road rollover
Published Nov. 14
A Williams Lake woman remains in critical condition at the ICU in Kamloops after a vehicle rollover Wednesday, Nov. 6.
Christine Fernandez was driving home on the Horsefly Road after dropping her daughter off at school when it is suspected she hit black ice, lost control of her vehicle and rolled off the road, her sister Louise Colwell told the Tribune.
Fernandez was thrown 40 feet from her vehicle and lay there in a field for about an hour before someone stopped to see what was going on.
"A lot of people drove past her vehicle and did not know it was a new accident, but the woman that found her is a retired first responder of some kind and she knew to stop because there was no yellow tape on the vehicle," Colwell said. "I guess they put yellow tape on a vehicle once it's been checked over. People thought it was an older accident because they did not see anybody there."
Colwell said if it wasn't for woman who stopped, her sister would be gone, 100 per cent.
"We lucked out because they didn't move her, she flagged cars down, got blankets and stuff because she [Christine] was laying in snow and they were worried about hypothermia."
RCMP operation in Williams Lake ends after 8-hour standoff
Published Nov. 21
RCMP have provided some information on the police operation on Western Avenue which took place Nov. 13, 14.
While the investigation is ongoing, Williams Lake RCMP Staff Sgt. Brad McKinnon said police "took all appropriate measures, based on the information received."
"The situation has safely been resolved and there are no longer any concerns for public safety," McKinnon said.
The residence where the operation took place is now boarded up and the garage and vehicle on the property have been closed up as well.
Trudeau delivers long-awaited apology to Williams Lake First Nation
Published Nov. 28
Williams Lake First Nation has received a formal apology from the Canadian government for being displaced from its village lands at the west end of Williams Lake in the 1800s.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued the apology in person in Ottawa on Monday, Nov. 25 to Chief Willie Sellars, elder Amy Sandy, councillors Ann Louie, Dancing Water Sandy and Shae Chelsea.
Trudeau said an apology is a deeply important step.
"It's about taking responsibility in large part for what happened decades ago, but it is also about commitment. A commitment we make to recognize the past, recognize the errors of the past, but commit to learning from them and not just making right on them, but learning to never make them again."
The official apology was read out by Trudeau, in which he said by being displaced from the village lands by settlers, the people of WLFN lost access to a variety of resources year-round.
Following the event, Chief Sellars sent a statement to Efteen.
“This was an important day for Williams Lake First Nation and other First Nations. Acknowledging that there has been mistreatment by government, and that mistreatment has caused harm to our people is meaningful. Bringing the truth to light is a critical part of reconciliation. There is still much work to be done, but WLFN will continue to do what it can to further the process of healing. We expect the governments of Canada and British Columbia to do the same."
Charges approved for 2014 Mount Polley tailings pond breach
Published Dec. 12
A total of 15 charges have been approved in connection with the August 2014 Mount Polley Mine tailings pond breach.
The charges are for possible contraventions of the federal Fisheries Act and come after a joint investigation by the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, noted the conservation officer service in a Facebook post Tuesday (Dec. 10).
The B.C. Prosecution Service assessed the charges and has approved to proceed to direct indictment against Imperial Metals Corporation, Mount Polley Mining Corporation and Wood Canada Ltd.
Contraventions under two different sections of the federal Fisheries Act were used for the charges.
The first court appearance was scheduled for Dec. 18 in Vancouver.
Cariboo Posties call federal action a 'slap in the face' for labour
Published Dec. 19
Intervention by the federal Minister of Labour to end a Canada Post strike won’t save Christmas and hurts labour, according to Canada Post workers.
Canada Post announced it would be restarting operations on Dec. 17, and “ramping up and stabilizing operations across the country.” The company said it would prioritize the mail and parcels trapped in the system since the strike began.
After a month of strike action, workers said they were beginning to feel pressure was building for Canada Post Corporation to come to the table and engage in meaningful negotiations with workers, something the union said the corporation has not yet done.
Canada Post, however, said they have always been committed to reach a negotiated agreement with the union.
“We are prepared to fully participate in the process and comply with the minister’s directive,” stated the release from Canada Post following the federal announcement to intervene in the strike.
