Castanet

I find it interesting that no one has commented about the current situation with the neighbors. Are we afraid to comment? I'm not. It seems there is a huge difference in governance direction. A total of 5 have resigned. Amazing. 5 out of 8 Councillors resigning, leaving only 4 (3 plus the chief) to run the band. I find this unprecedented for the PIB and maybe any other BC band.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... ors-resign

I may have asked this question before but does Grand Chief Stewart Phillip have any say in the bands political issues?

Not really. He may sway certain council members due to alliances they have with him and others in the PIB. Third or fourth hand info I received is there are 2 major camps at the band. One that is heavily aligned with the "old" ways and the other that wants to become progressive. I have met with PIB members that are exactly like this. Either for or against progress into the 20th century. Not a typo btw.

Thanks Jag - think you just answered my question.

JagXKR wrote:Not really. He may sway certain council members due to alliances they have with him and others in the PIB. Third or fourth hand info I received is there are 2 major camps at the band. One that is heavily aligned with the "old" ways and the other that wants to become progressive. I have met with PIB members that are exactly like this. Either for or against progress into the 20th century. Not a typo btw.

I think you are absolutely correct. I think the whole mix gets further complicated as well with some being more inclined towards militant action. Dawnland was rather revealing in one of her recent posts. She strikes me as a progressive that wants to build the bridge between communities and is feeling stifled but wanting to at the same time be true and proud of her heritage. While she may have been unsuccessful in past election attempts, I think and hope that one day she will emerge as a community leader.

The story continues and looks like there is no confidence by a large portion of the band.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... -continues

It just keeps getting more and more strange.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... ouncillors

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... dent-group

JagXKR wrote:It just keeps getting more and more strange.

That it does. It occurs to me that the roots of this dispute flows along the same lines as the division in Penticton's general population about what sort of future qualifies as desirable. We have factions in town who look to a life of quiet and serenity, nothing wrong with that but it is not a future that entails a lot of economic growth and opportunity. On the other hand there are those who look towards economic growth and diversification as a necessity to stave off stagnancy, which in itself is at odds with "the quiet life". There are definitely some parallels in the PIB situation. Toss a heaping helping of ego on both sides into the mix and there's a good chance that this is going to get uglier before it gets better.

Nice to see the neighbors having as great of a time with democracy as this side of the channel. Welcome to the world of divisive politics. Not too much fun is it. Especially when ideology's are opposed and there seems to be no hope for compromise.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... ft-remains

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... lve-itself

snip

He said in his 24 years on PIB council — 14 as Chief — he went through some pretty challenging times.

Yeah, challenging to set up and then take down blockades.
The troubles continue and no "real" end in sight. Will resolve itself is political gibber jabber.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... er-protest

Just keeps going and it won't end even after the election.

JagXKR wrote:https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/212228/Polls-under-protest

Just keeps going and it won't end even after the election.

I think that is a correct assessment. The PIB community seems very divided right now and while I have no insider knowledge and just an outsider looking at the whole situation and info available, I have to think that this is not just a small group of dissent but closer to 50/50.
Having said that however, we have to realize that the information actually shared outside of the community is not much more than what comes out of North Korea. It's sad as well as nothing is less conducive to bridging communities than secretiveness. PIB hears all of our laundry, but all of their's is vetted for hanging on the clothesline.