Shackan Indian Band Chief Arnold Lampreau to remain in his position

MERRITT, B.C. — Shackan Indian Band Chief Arnold Lampreau will remain in office following a denied application to remove him.

In a news release Wednesday (Dec. 21), the band states an arbitration hearing took place on Dec. 12 where the application to remove Lampreau was denied by an independent arbitrator.

“It’s a shame our disagreements had to come through this arbitration process,” Lampreau said.

This decision came after his removal was originally called for during a meeting two months ago. Officials said at the meeting some concerned community members made illegitimate motions to suspend Lampreau and his wife Lenora Starr, who is the community wellness manager for Shackan Indian Band. That led to a brief suspension of the two before an official application came forward to remove Lampreau from his position on Nov. 18.

While the process was going on, Lampreau stayed quiet, not making any comments, as the band said he was trying to respectful of all parties involved. In his first public statement, put out in the release, Lampreau said it will take some time to get things back to where they were but he’s willing to put in the time and effort.

“There used to be a time where we would resolve our own issues, no matter how long it took, we sat and worked it out together,” Lampreu said. “Prior to contact, we had strong and grounded political systems and economies. We all wanted to support each other and do our best for our people, because it would benefit the community overall. Now, with colonial mindsets impeding our thinking, some of our own people get to being voracious and individualistic in how they live. This was not the way of our ancestors. We need to get back to those old teachings so we can come out of our traumas in a way that would make our ancestors proud. By holding true to the foundational values and principles that have been integral to our existence since the time of creation. We’ll get there, it’s just going to take a lot of thoughtfulness, humbleness, and time.”

For more information on the process, visit Shackan Indian Bands website.