Looking to go watch the Nicola Valley Junior Native Hockey Association?

Check out the poster below for dates, prices for admission, and arena location

On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (the Ministry), Mahihkan Management is pleased to invite staff and representatives from your community to join the upcoming Indigenous Consultations for its alignment of laws project regarding the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).

The British Columbia (B.C.) government is committed under s. 3 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act) to align the laws of B.C. with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration), in consultation and cooperation with the Indigenous peoples in B.C.

The Ministry will begin its alignment of laws work by focusing on laws relating to the ALR, namely:

• The Agricultural Land Commission Act (ALCA) and its two regulations:
  1. The Agricultural Land Reserve General Regulation; and
  2. The Agricultural Land Reserve Use Regulation.

Please see the attached Backgrounder for more information on the ALR, the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), and the ALCA and its regulations.

The Ministry invites you to virtual sessions to:

• share how the ALCA and its regulations currently work; and
• seek feedback on
  1. the desired process moving forward in this multi-year, phased project; and
  2. desired policy changes to the ALCA and its regulations in order to align with the UN Declaration.

Session Dates and Times

The sessions are organized according to the six ALR administrative regions. However, please feel free to register for another session if you have a time conflict.

Please see the registration page for further information.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indigenous-consultations-for-alignment-of-laws-re-agricultural-land-reserve-tickets-514483312437

Who Should Attend?

These sessions are open to all community members, technical staff, and leadership within First Nations and Indigenous organizations.

Other Ways to Provide Feedback

Please feel free to provide additional written feedback through a survey, which goes directly to the Ministry. The link to the survey is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3C5MWXT.

Alternatively, please email the Ministry at to provide written feedback, with subject line “Alignment of Laws – ALR.”

If you are unable to attend any of the sessions, but would like to meet one-on-one with Ministry staff before March 31, 2023, please contact Yichuan Wang, Senior Legislation Analyst, at or at (236) 478-3359 to schedule a meeting.

Participant Funding

The Ministry is offering a one-time payment of $500.00 to each Nation or Indigenous organization that has at least one representative in attendance at one or more of the consultation sessions between March 8 and 10, 2023. Please note that March 31, 2023 is the last day that the Ministry is able to provide funding.

Spread the Word

Please forward this email to others in your community who may be interested in attending. We encourage First Nations to spread the word through their community newsletters and/or social media.

Thank You

The Ministry looks forward to meeting with you and learning about your interests and perspectives.

Your personal information is collected under section 26(c) and 26(e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purposes of informing policy development. If you have any questions about the collection of your information, please contact Ministry’s Alignment of Laws project staff, Yichuan Wang, Senior Legislation Analyst, at .

Do you have questions or feedback you would like to provide regarding the subject-matter at the engagement sessions? Please contact the Ministry directly via email at , with the subject line “Alignment of Laws – ALR,” or please complete the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3C5MWXT.

Registration questions? Please contact Mahihkan Management via email at .

Mahihkan Management is pleased to be supporting the Ministry with event management services for these upcoming sessions.

Thank you,

Mahihkan Management

on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food for these sessions

Check out this short video Presented by the OTDC BC ATEAM This video has been accepted for the showing at the Okanagan Screen Awards on February 25th at the Kelowna Community Theatre. They placed for 3 categories; Music Video, Commercial, and Digital Marketing! Click the link below to watch the short Video! https://www.dropbox.com/s/kyzed5l8i6uh650/BCATEAM%20.mov?dl=0

The information below is more details on the Okanagan Screen Awards!

Photo: Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmakers

The first Okanagan Screen Awards ceremony is scheduled for February 25, 2023 at the Kelowna Community Theatre.

The Okanagan film and video production industry has come a long way, and new event plans to celebrate the achievements of locals.

The first ever Okanagan Screen Awards are scheduled for Saturday, February 25, at the Kelowna Community Theatre. Tickets are on sale now for $25 a person.

“I could not be more excited about this festival. Not only do we get to celebrate and honor our peers and their art, but we get the opportunity to showcase the immense talent we have here in the Okanagan,” enthused Okanagan Society for Independent Filmmakers president Chelsea McEvoy.

“It’s all local, all content made in the Okanagan Valley,” she explains. “But it’s also going to be a very bougie, red carpet awards show.”

There will be all day screenings of local independent video productions on February 25 at KCT.

McEvoy homes film enthusiasts will show up to see the talent that’s emerging in the Okanagan Valley.

Submissions are still open in all prize categories until February 1.

Apple Awards will be handed out for best feature documentary, feature narrative, short narrative, short documentary, animation, music videos, commercials, fashion/model videos, action sports, social media content, and wedding/engagement videos.

• 8 separate images (submit as many as you want for consideration)
• Images will represent Indigenous culture through the eye of the artist
• Images will represent wellness, increasing safety, or harm reduction related to substance use as a general theme
• Artist is willing to sign a contract allowing Interior Health to use the image for advertising and promotional services

General Band Meeting