The City of Kamloops and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc are the first recipients of a national award that recognized their “innovative” relationship and partnership towards reconciliation.

Mayor Ken Christian joined Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir Wednesday morning, May 18, to accept the Collaboration Award with External Organizations that was presented by the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA).

“It is a huge ambition of myself and our council to build external relationships so this recognition is really a fulfilment of some of the elements of our strategic plan,” he said, noting building a relationship with Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc has long been a goal of the City,

“But I think before you can have a relationship, you first must be friends, and we have really worked hard with Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc, and we learn about each other.”

In presenting the award, CAMA noted the partnership between Kamloops and Tk’emlúps is an example for others to follow.

It says the two governments have been collaborating for years on things like cultural heritage, recreation, celebrations, and shared messaging during climate change events and the COVID-19 pandemic while also partnering together with shared service agreements for fire protection, transit, and sanitary sewer management.

Speaking Wednesday, Casimir said that Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc’s relationship with the City of Kamloops goes back to the 1950s and 1960s.

“It is as friends, and it’s also as partners, and also as government-to-government in upholding the health and safety of our respective communities, as well,” she said, calling the relationship a prime example of reconciliation. “I’m very proud and honoured of those steps and that relationship.”

“A ‘thinking-like-partners’ approach has allowed both organizations to move toward reconciliation, including economic reconciliation, and repeatable successes at the community level by being open and responsive, recognizing that challenges along the way are opportunities to learn, and through building trust and shared understanding.”

Added Christian, “we want to celebrate together so whether its having Tk’emlúps at our Canada Day celebrations or our Veterans dinner or whether its our attending the Powwow or the Truth and Reconciliation ceremonies at Tk’emlúps, we make that a priority,” he said.

“I think that helps us build our relationship and we will continue to do that.”