Fourteen months into his term as Kukpi7 (chief) of the formerly named Little Shuswap Lake Band, James Tomma is enjoying working for his people and is optimistic for the future.
One change recently instituted was a name change.
âIt was a progression; way back when I was a child we started talking about it. It went from Little Shuswap Lake â and I donât say the âIâ word â Band. Then it was Little Shuswap Lake Band. But that name was given to us.â
The new name is SkwlÄx te SecwepemcĂșlÌecw.
âOur identity is SkwlÄx, black bear on two legs. Te SecwepemcĂșlÌecw, black bear on SecwĂ©pmec land. Thatâs our identity. The name change just reaffirms our identity that weâre known as, not an identity and number that was given to us,â he explained.
Another progression fits in with Kukpi7 Tommaâs election platform in 2021.
That was his aim to work for the children, to ensure them the ability to be self-reliant and self-determined. Skwlax Resource Management (SRM) embodies that goal. Along with work in the construction industry, SRM allows the band to operate across a range of industries.
âThe success that Squilax Resource Management has had is a good indication of not only the hard work and diligence of employees who have worked for SRM, but I might add the majority are Indigenous people working there. We take quite a bit of pride that weâre employing our people.â
Tomma said he doesnât foresee SRM ever going out of business.
âI think it has some legs and itâs going to continue growing. All indications are through projections, the business that weâre doing with the SRM construction and all the other things that are available out there for what Skwlax Resource does is only going to get busier. Thereâs various things â rehab of land, deactivation, road construction, assisting in building.â
He said SRM won the bid for the clean-up of Quaaout Lodge following the fire in May 2022.
Read more:
Asked about the progress of the lodge, Tomma said the rebuild of what was the accommodation portion of the complex is in the design phase.
âWe have a lodge rebuild working group right now⊠One of my big things I ran on my platform was I was returning the band back to the band.â
Tomma said the band members are actually the band, not the three people they elect or hire.
âWe work for them,â he said, explaining he wants band members to have a say on the vision for the lodge.
Although the accommodation wing was destroyed, the golf course, spa, restaurant and conference centre remain open on a limited basis.
âYou gotta pay the light bill somehow,â he smiled.
When the lodge burned, the band lost a fair number of seasonal and full time jobs. But business ventures with SRM and others have helped to pick up the slack.
Kukpi7 Tomma said SRM has assumed total ownership of the bandâs gravel esker or gravel pit.
âWeâre not going to lease it out or hire contractors to run that business for us. SRM will initially get it up and running, but eventually band members will be working in the gravel pit. The band will see the dividends from that gravel pit because itâs going to be worth a lot of money to the children.â
He said this is the direction SRM and the band are taking, ensuring the legacy left for children is one where they donât have to fix anything but can instead improve on whatâs been done.
Read more:
Already SRM has reached the stage where it has begun to pay for itself, he said, about three years earlier than initially projected.
âOne thing good about SRM is weâre able to diversify so that you donât put all your eggs in one basket⊠When you get to a certain size, then youâre able to get your hands into a bunch of different jobs that are available. Thus we can keep quite a few people busy throughout the year,â he said.
âOur band, theyâre quite proud of SRM. Weâre becoming well known in the industry, quite well respected for the quality of work thatâs being done and that only fuels expansion.
âThat goes a long way in ensuring when I finally lay down for the last time, knowing that my children will be taken care of then. SRM is a flagship for the band and Iâm quite proud of it.â
Kukpi7 Tomma is quick to add that while he does the steering, âI do have a really good council, a really good administration, that makes me look good.â
In the past, he said, the bandâs wealth came from leasing land. He wants band members to be able to work for their money with band-owned businesses, which will bring in more money.
Overall, heâs generally pleased with how things are going.
âFourteen months in it, Iâm still enjoying myself; thereâs been road bumps and everything, as with life. But I look forward to continuing not only working for my people but hopefully I have an effect on the surrounding communities too.â
Read more:
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
Like us on and follow us on and subscribe to our daily .
