Smithers is celebrating Aboriginal Day with a celebration at Bovill Square this afternoon.
The party included a barbecue, live music and comments from local MLA and Aboriginal Relations Critic Doug Donaldson and Smithers mayor Taylor Bachrach.
Here’s Donaldson on coming out for the event,
“It’s important to support the resilience that we have seen in First Nations. This is their territory that we are celebrating on so it’s an important day to make a statement around injustices past and to have a better future for all in this province moving forward.”
Bachrach also commented on the importance of the day.
“The town, we take our relationship with First Nations and the Wet’suwet’en specifically very seriously and it’s a wonderful partnership. We are working on a whole host of different projects together. We are partners in the community forest and a bunch of different economic initiatives. But today is really a chance though to celebrate being neighbours and the things we have in common, which is a love for this place.”
Celebrations also take place today in Moricetown and on the weekend in Burns Lake.