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Jason Louie sworn in as Lower Kootenay Band chief

Jason Louie said that when he entered the election race last fall he didn’t expect to become the new chief of the Lower Kootenay Band (LKB).
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RCMP Const. Eldean Stanley swore in Jason Louie as the Lower Kootenay Band chief at a ceremony on Friday.

Jason Louie said that when he entered the election race last fall he didn’t expect to become the new chief of the Lower Kootenay Band (LKB).

“I honestly didn’t expect to be elected as chief — maybe as a councillor,” he said on Tuesday. “It was a surprise. I’m grateful to the members who voted me into this position.”

Louie takes over the reins from Chris Luke Sr., who led the LKB for 30 years and did not stand for re-election. The new chief topped the poles in an election that also saw Ann Jimmie and Arlene Basil elected to the band council. They will join current councillors Sandra Luke and Mary Basil to govern the LKB.

As chief, Louie said, he recognizes the importance of Lower Kootenay working together with the Town of Creston and Regional District of Central Kootenay.

He won the support of his council in his decision to hold an inauguration in Prince Charles Theatre on Friday afternoon, a ceremony that was MCed by Creston Mayor Ron Toyota and included regional directors Garry Jackman, Larry Binks and John Kettle on the stage.

Louie, wearing a ceremonial headdress and shirt, and the new councillors were led into the theatre by cadet bagpipers and an RCMP honour guard. RCMP Const. Eldean Stanley, a First Nations officer from Cranbrook, swore in the newly elected trio and presented Louie with a traditional blanket.

“This is a good day,” he told the assembly (full speech on this page).

Louie said the discipline he learned as a Canadian soldier would help him in his duties.

He reached out to those who did not vote for him and the other councillors.

“This is a democracy,” he said. “You have the choice to support us or not support us.”

Louie, 37, was born in Creston and graduated from high school in 1992, having attended Prince Charles Secondary School and the LKB school, which no longer has a high school program. He earned a long-term care aid certificate from the College of the Rockies and later studied aboriginal leadership and governance. He then studied at the then Okanagan University College to become a native adult instructor.

After a brief tenure with the Ktunaxa-Kinbasket Wellness Centre, he headed up a community healing and intervention program that focused on those affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

“I worked out of the Yaqan Nukiy School, so I’ve been here for about 16 years,” he said.

He now works with the school as a teacher’s aide and Ktunaxa language instructor.

With his wife, Angie, Louie has three daughters. Misty is now in the US Air Force and Alicia is attending college in Montana. Jaylin, 11, attends school and lives at home.

“I didn’t make campaign promises,” he said. “I’ll do my best to deal with issues as a community.”

While treaty negotiations (LKB is part of the Ktunaxa-Kinbasket Nation, which is now considering a treaty settlement offer from the federal government) and landfill issues are bigger picture items the council will have to deal with, Louie said there are other priorities, too.

“Starting internally is where our focus of council will be at the start,” he said.

Candidates to replace former chief operating officer Joe Pierre, who resigned last summer due to health issues, will soon be interviewed. A council retreat will be held in March, where a facilitator will assist LKB leaders in setting goals.

With nearly three terms of experience as a band councillor — he resigned in the last term, saying he felt unable to serve his community effectively — Louie said he wants to bring band members into the decision-making process.

“We have lots of strengths in the Lower Kootenay Band, despite the different dynamics that are happening right now,” he said. “Family comes first for our people, and the reality is that just about everyone here is related.

“We do our best to benefit our kids. And humour has always been important to us — it will help with where we are now.”

Louie said he will rely on his fellow councillors and community elders to guide him. He also paid tribute to Chris Luke Sr., the man he replaced as chief.

“I have nothing but respect for Chris — I grew up next door to him. He was a mentor to me,” he said.