B.C. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin will visit four communities in the Kootenays this week.
Austin will be in Cranbrook, Creston, Nelson and Castlegar from Tuesday through Friday.
During her visit to Cranbrook, she will visit ʔaq̓amnik̓ School and host a lunch for recipients of the inaugural British Columbia Reconciliation Awards, the xaȼqanaǂ ʔitkiniǂ (Many Ways of Doing the Same Thing) research team.
In Creston on Wednesday, she will join the Yaqan Nuʔkiy school for a portion of the wuqanq̓ankimik Walk in support of reconciliation and in recognition of National Indigenous History Month.
In Nelson on Thursday, Austin will meet with local dignitaries. She will be escorted on a tour of downtown’s murals, followed by a visit to the Selkirk College Victoria Street campus to meet with fine arts students. She will also take part in a roundtable with local women and family-services support providers at Nelson Community Services.
In Castlegar, also on Thursday, she will visit the Southeast Fire Centre to thank local B.C. Wildfire Service and Emergency Management British Columbia staff. Finally, on Friday she will visit the Doukhobor Discovery Centre for a tour and to meet with local community representatives.
This will be Austin’s first official visit to the Kootenays since being sworn in in 2018.
Her office says the visit is “part of a larger objective to visit communities around the province and celebrate the diversity and accomplishments of British Columbians.”