Although we have already honoured the current Chiefs of our five Northern Secwepemc Nations, we want to acknowledge their communities once more in recognition of the contributions of all present and past Band Councils, senior administrators and community members whose support and, above all, whose perseverance over more than 20 years, have brought us all to this incredible stage in our long journey towards a full-fledged world-class cultural centre.

Next, we want to honour the five Chiefs whose Band Councils gave formal approval in principle to the idea of this project, and to the formation of our Society in 2006. They are:

• Chief Willie Alphonse of the Williams Lake First Nation
• Chief Roy Christopher of the Tsqescen First Nation
• The late Dorothy Phillips of the Xat’sull First Nation
• Chief Hank Adam of the Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation and
• Chief Fred Robbins of Eske’etemc

Other Chiefs who followed, and whose Councils provided unwavering support for the project, include:

• Chief Mike Archie of the Tsqescen First Nation
• Chief Ann Louie of the Williams Lake First Nation
• Chief Bev Sellars of the Xat’sull First Nation
• Chief Donna Dixon of the Xat’sull First Nation
• Chief Charlene Belleau of Eske’etemc and
• Chief Patrick Harry of the Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation

We especially want to recognize those individuals who have represented their communities by serving as members and directors of our Society, some of whom are sadly no longer with us, but who are surely watching this ceremony with well-deserved pride:

Tsqescen First Nation — Elizabeth Pete
Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation — Charlotte Gilbert; Phyllis Webstad (former Society President); Loretta Billy: Phyllis Rosette; Chief Patrick Harry (former Society Vice President); David Archie; and Agness Jack
Esk’etemc — Robert A. Chelsea; Darlene Hunter; Lucy Dick; Phyllis Chelsea; Thomas Sampson; Patricia Chelsea; Merci Jane Paul; Chief Andy Chelsea; and Ashley George
Xat’sull First Nation — Cheryl Chapman; Teena Sellars; Donna Dixon (former Society President and subsequently Chief); Rhonda Phillips (former Band Administrator and current Chief); Chief Bev Sellars; and Miriam Schilling
Williams Lake First Nation — Chris Wycotte Jr. (former Vice President); Joan Sellars; JoAnne Moiese; Robin Gilbert; Cody William; Helen Sandy; and Laurie Illnicki

We now want to thank the three key financial contributors to our wonderful building. The first of these three contributors to commit funding to the project was the Northern Development Initiative Trust whose $300,000 grant provided us leverage to obtain the Federal Government funding I will shortly acknowledge. The Northern Trust has been a friend and financial supporter of our project since its inception, and we are pleased to offer our thanks to its current Chief Executive Officer Joel McKay, its Manager of Economic Development for the Cariboo Chilcotin Jordan Hammond and its Board Chair Margo Wagner who is also the current Chair of the Cariboo Regional District. They have all been steadfast supporters of our project, and we are delighted that Margo has been able to attend this ceremony. I will now invite Margo to come to the podium to acknowledge our sincerest thanks for the Northern Trust’s most generous grant.

Next in order comes Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada whose then Minister, the Hon. Marc Miller joined us on this site in March 2022 to present us with its initial four million dollars. When construction costs started to balloon out of control and overtook our preliminary budget, his department found an additional $1,236,000 that gave us the confidence to proceed with construction. We couldn’t be more grateful than we are for the incredible support that CIRNAC has contributed to our amazing project.

And although he is no longer the CIRNAC Minister, we nevertheless invited the Hon. Marc Miller — now Minister of Immigration — to join us here today. Understandably, in light of his many other pressing commitments, he was unable to do so, but he wrote a wonderful letter that confirms the really positive impression he left with us two years ago, and that I would like to read to you. He wrote:

Congratulations on this momentous occasion for your community. Although I cannot be present at the ceremony, I am delighted that the cultural centre is now complete.

Historically, Canada has played a shameful role in the erasure of the culture and history of Indigenous Peoples, including the Northern Secwepemc People. Today marks a remarkable moment, as the 20-year endeavour to build this cultural centre stands as a testament to your community’s determination, resilience and strength. It will pass on your stories, experiences and language, for generations to come.

Its completion, nestled within the nature of your ranch, is a landmark for historical and cultural education. The centre’s legacy will outlast us all.

Warmest regards,

We are equally grateful for the incredible financial support provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage which contributed an initial $300,000, and then, when construction costs continued to skyrocket, found an additional $550,000 that brought us to the point of covering our budget for both the building and the landscaping that you are experiencing today. Two British Columbia based officials of the Department were instrumental in promoting our project and helping us to secure this funding from Ottawa. Shannon Bettles was for much of the time the Manager of the Department’s Western Region, and along with Pierre Stolte, who has since retired from public service, provided invaluable advice as well as support throughout our application process. We are delighted that Shannon, who is now based in Williams Lake, is able to join us today. Thank you Shannon and thank you Pierre. We ask you to accept our unqualified gratitude for your support and for that of your Minister and her entire Department.

There are three other organizations that converted our funding into the reality you are witnessing and celebrating here today - our architects, our exhibit designers and our construction managers.

First in order are our amazing architects, McFarland Marceau, represented here today by principal Marie Marceau, lead architect on our project Roman Lavalle, and by Craig Duffield, Richard Buccino and Frank Huang.

All of these amazing individuals made significant contributions to the building and the landscaping that is being celebrated today. The original concept was the creation of Marie and Craig in collaboration with our earlier Society directors and was overseen to perfection by Roman. The landscaping was the product of Richard working in close collaboration with David Jensen and our board of directors. Frank played a significant role at various times on our journey, and on behalf of you all, I thank them most sincerely, and invite Marie Marceau to accept a gift from our President Irene Gilbert as a token of our appreciation, and then to speak to us.

Next in order are our extraordinary exhibit designers D. Jensen & Associates who are represented here today by world-class and multiple award-winning principal David Jensen himself along with his exceptionally talented graphic designer Kathy Curry.

Together with various other associates, including the most recent, Jennifer Pantel, they have worked with Canim Lake, SXFN and Esk’et community members to bring to life the inspiring history, culture and language of your Northern Secwepemc Nations. Some of the early and preliminary evidence of that collaboration can be seen today inside your new cultural centre. As is being communicated by the banners you will see, there is much more yet to come. But for now, and on your behalf, I thank them all most sincerely, and invite David Jensen to accept a gift from Irene, and then to say a few words to us.

Last but by no means least are our incredible construction managers, Alfred Horie Construction whose President John Paone is here with us today, accompanied by his Site Superintendent Dennis Cadrain and Ben Bauce who acted as its extremely gifted and effective Project Manager until the final stages of the project.

Alfred Horie Construction was selected from among a group of outstanding construction management firms who had expressed interest in working with us, and we were blessed by their wonderful ability to work seamlessly with our architects, our exhibit designers and ourselves. In these inflationary times that had plagued our earlier fundraising efforts, they performed a miracle by completing the project within budget, and on behalf of all of you, I thank them most sincerely, and now invite John Paone to accept his gift from Irene and then to respond.

Three other organizations have made smaller, but invaluable contributions that we wish to recognize now.

The Western Financial Group made a generous donation that financed a major portion of the kitchen equipment that you will be able to see when you tour the inside of the building later this afternoon. Our special thanks to Val Nickless of the 100 Mile House Branch for arranging this grant for us. Val is unable to join us here this afternoon, but the Group is represented by her Branch Manager Angela Poholka. We thank you, Angela and Val, most sincerely.

The New Pathways to Gold Society made a generous contribution to the cost of hosting this ceremony today. The Society has been a great supporter of our project over many years, and those of you who entered this site from the Government Rest Area, will have crossed the beautiful cedar bridge that was constructed by members of the Canim Lake Band with funding from numerous local businesses in 100 Mile House and Williams Lake, and most notably with a major contribution from New Pathways to Gold. Our sincere thanks are offered to present and past boards of directors, with special mention of staff member Don Hauka and current board director Brent Rutherford who is here with us this afternoon.

One other very special gift we have most gratefully received is in the form of the tables and chairs we will need to host meetings in our new building. They have been donated to us by Vickie Zhang, President of the Fraser Volunteer Association of Canada, and our expression of thanks to Vickie and her organization leads me to mention a special relationship that is forming between us and Vancouver’s Chinese cultural community.

In August 2022, Eileen Lao - also here with us this afternoon - who was for many years a director of the Barkerville Trust, partnered with our friend Al Richmond to bring a group of individuals from Vancouver’s Chinese cultural community to attend Barkerville’s Eighth Indigenous Cultural Festival. On their return journey, the group was persuaded by Al to make a stop here at our site where they were greeted by our President Irene Gilbert who provided them with an outline our project. At that moment a future relationship was born, and we have since been honoured by numerous invitations from Vancouver’s Chinese community to attend various functions in Vancouver. One of them was a dinner most generously hosted by Fred Kwok, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, and attended by three of your Northern Secwepemc Chiefs all of whom are here with us today. We are now the beneficiaries of a keen interest by the Chinese cultural community and by the current Chinese Consul General in your culture and your history. That interest is mutual, and our Society is looking forward to creating future opportunities for exchanges of artists and performers.

Chinese Consul General Yang Shu had very much hoped to be present here today but had important prior commitments that made that impossible. He has expressed a sincere interest in visiting our new cultural centre on one of his forthcoming visits to the BC interior, and we will be more than happy to greet him here. In the meantime, I would like to recognize Eileen Lao, Vickie Zhang and Fred Kwok, and invite Vickie and Fred each to receive a gift from our President Irene Gilbert, and then in turn to speak to us.

Before on behalf of our Society and all of you, I conclude my expressions of gratitude  to those more or less responsible for our new building — and there are very many more individuals and organizations that will be recognized when in due course we complete our exhibits and programming and have a full opening of our centre, there is one individual who stands out as the result of his more than 20 years of active support for our project. As the long-time director of the Cariboo Regional District’s Area “G” in which our cultural centre is located, and for many years the Chair of the CRD’s Board of Directors, Al Richmond has provided assistance and constructive advice in many more ways than it’s possible to list in the time remaining to us this afternoon. It is with the sincerest gratitude that on behalf of the Society and all five Northern Secwepemc Nations I recognize those many contributions and invite Al to come here and receive a gift from our President Irene a token of our appreciation, and then say a few words.

I now turn the microphone back to our esteemed Master of Ceremonies Irvine Johnson.

— September 14, 2024

NORTHERN SECWEPEMC CULTURAL SOCIETY