City, OKIB working together

Photo: File photo

Mayor Akbal Mund, left, and OKIB Chief Byron Louis

The Okanagan Indian Band and City of Vernon are embarking on a three-year collaboration program.

The two government bodies will participate in the Community Economic Development Initiative (CEDI), a national program delivered jointly by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and Cando (the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers).

CEDI seeks to improve economic prosperity through joint community economic development and land use planning.

“I am pleased to participate in this important initiative with Mayor Akbal Mund and his council,” said Chief Byron Louis. “We recognize by working together on economic development initiatives in our traditional territory, we will have the opportunity to identify some challenges and create strategies to overcome them. The result of these efforts will strengthen our relationship and the regional economy.”

The CEDI experience opens the way for First Nations and neighbouring municipal communities to create economic and social advantages. The CEDI partnership will provide an opportunity to increase awareness of OKIB’s history and share this information with others, creating a stronger understanding of the OKIB community.

“I am confident that our common goals for local economic development will foster benefits that will extend to many other aspects of community building. The CEDI program is giving us the framework to work together to achieve strong local results.,” said Mayor Akbal Mund.

At a joint workshop last year, the city and OKIB identified potential areas for future discussion, which may include joint land use planning, tourism, infrastructure, emergency management planning and food security.