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South Okanagan Photos

Order of BC

* Brenda Baptiste of Osoyoos

Congratulations Brenda – Clarence and the entire band is proud of  your team!

Honouree Brenda Baptiste of the Osooyoos Indian Band, who has served for 18 years as chair of Indigenous Tourism B.C., said, “I’m incredibly honoured, and I’m grateful because with all of the things that have happened, with COVID and the 215, we’ve got a government that is committed to reconciliation, making sure that Indigenous voice is heard on all levels. This is one of those moments where that Indigenous voice is part of the identity of British Columbia and I am humbled by it.”Baptiste said when she took the helm 18 years ago, Indigenous motifs and images were frequently used to promote tourism in B.C., without consultation or inclusion of Indigenous nations. Baptiste has worked tirelessly to build opportunities within Indigenous communities.

“We knew that to focus on cultural tourism, we would need our elders to pass the knowledge on to the youth, who are the ambassadors to our people, and it’s created this incredible culture. We saw this as the highest form of sovereignty because they could decide what they wanted to share with visitors and what to keep for themselves, creating a foundation of ownership,” said Baptiste.