Kamloops council to call for local government involvement as province reviews archaeology, heritage policies

Local input for Heritage Act

Photo: KTW file photo

A sign directs visitors to council chambers in Kamloops city hall.

Kamloops council is calling for more local government involvement when it comes to reviewing and reforming reconciliation policy, archaeology processes and the Heritage Conservation Act.

During a council meeting Tuesday, Coun. Bill Sarai put forward a resolution now bound for the Southern Interior Local Government Association. It urges the province to formally include senior representatives of all local government associations as it discusses and makes decisions on these policies.

“I would like to say it's straightforward, but it's not,” said Sarai, who serves as SILGA’s first vice president.

“It's going to take some work — and we're willing to put in the work here and at SILGA.”

The resolution noted local governments are responsible for land use planning, infrastructure, permitting and development approvals — all of which are directly affected by provincial reconciliation policy, archaeology requirements and the Heritage Conservation Act.

“Local governments are not consistently included as formal partners in provincial policy development related to DRIPA [Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act] implementation, archaeology processes and heritage legislation, despite being responsible for implementation at the community level,” the resolution stated.

The resolution said the Heritage Conservation Act is outdated, and existing archaeology processes create uncertainty, delays and cost impacts — for local governments, Indigenous communities, and the public alike.

The province announced it has postponed proposed amendments to the Heritage Conservation Act to allow for more consultation — a development which happened after industry pushback and a sustained local government push for face-to-face consultation.

Sarai’s resolution comes just weeks after a lawyer representing Kamloops property owners told news reporters the landowners could be on the hook for an $80,000 archaeology bill after landscapers unearthed ancient Indigenous remains.

Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir said at the time that B.C. should change its policies to support private property owners with the costs associated with such finds or people will be afraid to report discoveries.

Second resolution on pilot training

Kamloops council agreed to sponsor four resolutions for discussion at the upcoming SILGA convention, which will be held this spring in Revelstoke.

Sarai put forward a second resolution about increasing support for Canadian airline pilots amid a national shortage.

The councillor had put forward a motion last fall advocating for financial aid for students pursuing flight training programs. At that time, he said the Canada-wide shortage of qualified pilots is impacting regional and northern air connectivity.

His SILGA resolution calls on other B.C. local governments to work together and call for immediate action to expand funding, training capacity and financial support for pilot education.

“I believe sending this resolution to SILGA is only going to support what we started in October. And if anything, we're supporting our regional airport to be healthy, and to recruit and keep the airline pilots that we're training here,” Sarai said.

During Tuesday’s meeting, council also supported two resolutions from Coun. Nancy Bepple which will also go to SILGA for debate.

One resolution urges the province to fund highway improvements to curb a disproportionate amount of traffic fatalities happening in Northern B.C. and the B.C. Interior. The second calls on the province to implement recommendations from an independent review of climate change policy.