Many people who live in Salmon Arm consider it to be a blessing.
But not everyone feels the glow of welcome and belonging.
For others, subtle and often more overt racism make living here a painful challenge.
That racism thrives in Salmon Arm is no surprise to the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan, which has received $50,000 from the B.C. government to help eliminate racism in Salmon Arm and four other Thompson-Okanagan communities.
The Social Planning Council is the host agency for the Thompson Okanagan Respect Network, and partners with local agencies in Kamloops, Vernon, Salmon Arm, Kelowna and Penticton.
Joyce Kenoras
A member of the Adams Lake Band, Joyce Kenoras was born in Salmon Arm but raised in Vernon and Alberta, heading south of the border when she married.
Kenoras, who has a business degree, sits on the board of the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society and has just been appointed to the board of the College of Optometrists of BC, was surprised by the depth of racism First Nations deal with on a daily basis.
“When I circled back home it was pretty obvious there was a real strong opinion about First Nations,” she says. “At first, I didn’t want to believe it because I love Salmon Arm; my family is one of the original families and this has been our home forever.”
In raising her three children, Kenoras taught them to “reach for the highest,” get a good education, find jobs off the reserve.
“I encouraged them to step beyond the boundaries of the reserve so they didn’t have to rely on what the band had to offer,” she says, noting her son encountered the most negative experiences in Salmon Arm, not so much from his own age group but from a much older generation. “He’s overcome it by really embracing the community and it has made a difference. It’s like we’ve had to prove ourselves to the community.”
Kenoras says she meets racism head on by asking people what’s going on when they have offended her – a reaction that has most people walking away without further comment because she has challenged them.
“We have been a people oppressed for centuries and the sadness of oppression goes right back into the community and the anger and pain festers there,” she says noting many natives just take it as if it is the norm.
“I just want to see it change; it’s not for me or the elders, it’s for the children. The family violence is brought on by oppression and all the negativity we’ve suffered in the community on and off the reserve.”
Kenoras is thrilled the federal government will launch an investigation into missing indigenous women and equally pleased RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson recently announced there is no room for racism in the force.
Calling relations between local police and First Nations, particularly young males, “really strained,” she is hoping the message gets down to local detachments.
But Staff Sgt. Scott West of the Salmon Arm detachment says both he and Chase detachment commander Sgt. Gary Heebner have a close working relationship with all the local bands and work hard together to further their mutual interest in public safety.
“We maintain ongoing, regular dialogue and have not heard of any concerns,” West says. “Overall, the experiences of our police officers have been positive and respectful, whether we are responding to calls for service or setting policing priorities.”
West adds that if anyone has a particular concern, both he and Heebner would like to know so they can address the issue immediately.
“A great deal of work has taken place over the years to enhance our relationship with our First Nation communities and it remains a priority moving forward,” he adds.