KIMBERLEY, BC: On Monday, November 1, Chief Joe Pierre and CAO Carl Ninine of the ʔaq̓am Community – St. Mary’s Indian Band facilitated Ktunaxa Nation flag-raising ceremonies at Purcell Golf and Purcell Preschool. In attendance for Purcell at both events were Duncan MacLeod (Purcell Collegiate CEO/Head of School), Jaret Thompson (Purcell Collegiate Board Chair), and Arthur Luk (Purcell Collegiate Director). Ktunaxa Nation flags will fly alongside the flags of Canada and British Columbia at all Purcell amenities including Purcell Collegiate School once completed. Flying the Ktunaxa Nation flag is representative of Purcell Collegiate’s commitment to actualizing its traditional-territory acknowledgement and engaging the Truth and Reconciliation process in a meaningful and impactful way. Purcell Collegiate’s recently-signed MOU with the ʔaq̓am Community will act as a roadmap on the journey toward making the school a lighthouse example of how decolonization can be engaged to create shared opportunity and for mutual benefit.
