On Monday, November 1, Chief Joe Pierre and CAO Carl Ninine of the ʔaq̓am Community – St. Mary’s Indian Band facilitated a Ktunaxa Nation flag-raising ceremony at Purcell Golf. In attendance for Purcell were Duncan MacLeod (Purcell Collegiate CEO/Head of School), Jaret Thompson (Purcell Collegiate Board Chair), Arthur Luk (Purcell Collegiate Director), and Simon Jones (Director of Golf at Purcell Golf). Ktunaxa Nation flags will fly alongside the flags of Canada and British Columbia at all Purcell amenities including Purcell Preschool and, when completed, Purcell Collegiate School. Flying the Ktunaxa Nation flag is representative of Purcell’s commitment to actualizing its traditional-territory acknowledgements and engaging the Truth and Reconciliation process in a meaningful and impactful way. Purcell Collegiate’s recently-signed MOU with the ʔaq̓am Community will act as a roadmap on the journey toward making the school a lighthouse example of how decolonization can be engaged for shared opportunity and mutual benefit.
