Diane Francois is the new Kukpi7 (Chief) for the Skwla虅x te Secwepemcu虂l虛ecw band.
Residents of Skwlax te Secwepemcu麓lecw (formerly the Little Shuswap Lake band) voted in their new Kukpi7 on June 28, with Francois receiving 54 votes, defeating former Kukpi7 James Tomma with 39 votes. Also in the running were Leigh Anderson, who received 30 votes and Jabala J.J. August Sjodin with two votes.
Francois is the band's protected and conserved areas manager.
Voting occurred between two voting stations, with a total of 125 ballots cast representing 42 per cent of eligible voters.
Tomma was elected in December 2021, and served as Kukpi7 through 2023's Bush Creek East wildfire that burned 31 homes in the Skwla虅x te Secwepemcu虂l虛ecw community, including his own.