Chase council to form steering committee for Truth and Reconciliation Day event despite heated opposition from one councillor

A vote against reconciliation

Photo: Luc Rempel

Chase Coun. Colin Connett was the only councillor opposed to moving forward on plans for a 2026 Truth and Reconciliation Day event to be hosted in Chase.

Chase will be moving ahead with plans to organize a steering committee for a 2026 Truth and Reconciliation Day event to be held in Chase, despite stern opposition from Coun. Colin Connett.

Connett said he believes truth and reconciliation activities are being pushed by white liberals and cost too much money.

At the Feb. 10 village council meeting, a motion was put forward to form a steering committee for a Truth and Reconciliation Day event to be held in Chase.

Adams Lake Indian Band, Neskonlith, Skwlax te Secwepemcul’ecw, Sun Peaks and Salmon Arm are all expected to be invited to be part of the steering committee.

'Absolutely against this'

Coun. Colin Connett was the lone councillor opposed to planning the event.

“I'm absolutely against this,” he said. “If you go online and you ask how much this has cost the taxpayers of Canada, it's in the billions, and it's truth and reconciliation and other things, enough is enough.”

“I do not agree with flags on the school, and I don't agree with crosswalks or s*** on the wall,” he said, in an apparent reference to an Every Child Matters crosswalk and the recent installation of a Secwépemc sculpture on the outside of the Chase Curling Club.

“They're all political statements as far as I'm concerned. ...Enough is enough,” he said.

Castanet has reached out to Connett for further clarification about his comments.

Connett also challenged any councillors who voted in favour of the motion to donate two weeks of their stipend, “which is three-hundred something dollars” towards hosting the event.

“And I'll take my stipend, and I'll donate that to an organization in Chase, and I'll bring the receipt,” he added.

Coun. Dan Stevens said he would happily donate his stipend towards the event.

“In our work, understanding local nations and history is not optional,” Stevens said. “It's part of making informed and respectful decisions about land, infrastructure and community planning. I don't think there's a debate here.”

He said he believes taking steps like this to support truth and reconciliation is “absolutely vital” and part of being a village councillor.

“I think that you know this motion is doing its best to alleviate the taxpayer from paying for this event, as was previously discussed by council,” Stevens said.

“I think that this is so important for relationship building and moving forward in a good direction, and it's about equality at the end of the day.”

Coun. Fred Torbohm said the motion was about putting a committee together to organize the event, rather than committing village funds towards anything and that it included a caveat to look into grant funding opportunities to help pay for the event.

“I think this is going to be awesome for us to be on the committee, and to remember that it'll be collaborative,” added Coun. Jane Herman. “It doesn't have to cost the Chase taxpayers a lot of money… we're going to work together.”

'We need to figure out how to work together'

Connett was unswayed by the other councillors and implied Stevens was only supportive of the event because he works for one of the bands.

“It's white people that are really pushing this. ... Liberals," he said.

Stevens replied that his vote was based on “the way I live my life” and not by who he works for.

Mayor David Lepsoe said he believed the event was an opportunity for everyone to “figure out how to work together.”

“We're both living in the same area of Canada, British Columbia, Chase,” he said. “We need to figure out how to work together. …Nobody's leaving.”

The motion to form a steering committee for a truth and reconciliation day event in Chase was passed with four votes in favour and only Connett voting in opposition.