Skip to Content
ON AIR NOW7:00 PM - 12:00 AMPhilys Og
listen live
Home

Local News Now

City of Kamloops permanently raises Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc flag on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Victor Kaisar
Sep 30, 2022 | 10:26 AM


City of Kamloops permanently raises Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc flag on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Tk'emlúps Councillor Nikki Fraser and Mayor Ken Christian with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc flag outside of City Hall. (Photo via City of Kamloops)

The City of Kamloops has permanently raised the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc flag outside of City Hall on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Raised by Councillor Nikki Fraser, who is the acting Kúkpi7, and Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian, the City says it is a way to recognize that Kamloops is located on Tk’emlúps to Secwépemc territory on the unceded ancestral lands of the Secwépemc Nation.

“Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc is proud to share this moment with the City of Kamloops. We continue to walk together taking steps towards reconciliation,” Fraser said, in a statement.

“On September 30, we want everyone to acknowledge and commemorate the history and ongoing trauma of residential schools. We honour all those who were lost and all the survivors and intergenerational survivors who continue to suffer the impacts of residential schools.”

A second flagpole will be installed in the coming weeks so that the City’s flag and the Tk’emlúps flag fly side-by-side permanently “as a visual representation of the strong relationship and joint responsibilities to the land and its people.”

“We are honoured to have a strong relationship with our neighbours at Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, built on mutual respect and a desire for understanding,” Christian added, noting the City and Tk’emlúps have been recognized for their commitment to further the Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report.

“We are proud to fly this flag as a public acknowledgement of the land on which we live and our commitment to working toward a better future.”