FILE PHOTO - Westbank First Nation Chief Robert Louie.

(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

The Chief of the Westbank First Nation told members Kelowna's Chamber of Commerce today the millions of dollars in damage caused by this summer's wildfires in the region doesn't include the losses to business, harvestable timber and tourism.

Chief Robert Louie delivered a State of the Nation address today, Oct. 5, at a Chamber business luncheon.

He told the gathering the $720 million in estimated damage from the Okanagan and Shuswap wildfires doesn’t include the additional loss of businesses, forests and tourism.

The First Nation sustained hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and lost 16 homes, three multi-family complexes, a water pump and 8,000 hectares of timber estimated to be multiple billions of dollars in value.

Louie advocated for a return of tradition Indigenous prescribed burn practices as a way to mitigate future fire devastation.

“This forest management technique is crucial to the stewardship of the forest areas,” he said. “It's based on our traditional ecological knowledge and practices, which have been passed down from generation to generation over thousands of years.”

Chief Louie has also advocated for such work to the Prime Minister this year.

“The forest mitigation attributed to creating a natural firebreak in the 2021 Glenrosa wildfire. This is a fact,” Louie said. “WFN and the regional district also completed fire mitigation work in the Rose Valley area, of which the McDougall Creek fire hit. And we're proud to say no homes were lost there.”

Louie proposed an emergency training coordination centre for Indigenous people in fire, flood and any other catastrophic conditions, something he brought directly to the Prime Minister and the BC Premier.

“The regional district of Central Okanagan is in the process, I'm told, of hiring a forestry impact advisor,” he said. “The provincial government also announced a 14-person expert task force on emergencies, mandated to provide recommendations related to emergency preparedness and response prior to the 2024 wildfire season. We at WFN will collaborate on all levels, and we need, and we know, we still need to evaluate and plan for our own community recovery.”

Westbank First Nation Chief Robert Louie gave a State of the Nation address to the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.

(GEORGINA WHITEHOUSE / iNFOnews.ca)

At the Chamber luncheon, Louie announced a 40-year-project to clean up the old Brenda Mines site in order to redirect waste from Glenmore landfill.

“This will certainly extend the life of the Glenmore landfill site, save millions of dollars. I'm sure the taxpayers here are going to be happy,” he said.

“I'm sure Kelowna city is going to be probably smiling very broadly to have the Glenmore landfill site saved for many more years and have renewable use of the waste.”

WFN’s five reserves cover 5,340 acres of land with another 1,000 acres to be added in 2024. The annual budget of the organization is currently more than $50 million, and its land base is in the multiple billion dollars, Louie said. The First Nation has 900 members alongside another 11,000 non-members living on Westbank lands.

There are 600 registered businesses, 100 of which are WFN member owned. It has also issued over $580 million in building permits in the last several years, Louie said, and there are plans to expand further. Starting with the a million square feet of retail space, 153,000 square feet of office space and 260,000 square feet of industrial space.

The WFN collects over $18 million in property taxes annually, with growth predicted in the future. Its land assessment value has also steadily increased and was estimated to be worth $3.4 billion this summer.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Georgina Whitehouse or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2023