Geoff Russ: The South Africanization of B.C. |
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Geoff Russ: The South Africanization of B.C.
The province's obsessions with name changes has become retributive, like in the former apartheid country
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The likely renaming of the small British Columbia community of Okanagan Falls exemplifies the toxicity, unworkability, and power of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) and “decolonization” more broadly. It is a top-down, legally binding process, not an organic or democratic one.
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DRIPA, passed by the B.C. NDP government in 2019, requires the province to align its laws with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which includes recognizing and restoring traditional Indigenous place names. The mandate to rename Okanagan Falls stems from these legal obligations.
Geoff Russ: The South Africanization of B.C. Back to video
A dual name has been proposed by the province as a compromise, in both the English and local Indigenous Syilx language, partially to appease the Osoyoos Indian Band, whose leadership is resolute on the matter. The potential Syilx name remains undetermined.
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Chief Clarence Louie said, “When it comes to reconciliation and land claims and Indigenous people having rights, those aren’t up........