Lheidli T’enneh Chief and Council have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Prince George National Indigenous People’s Day (NIPD) celebration on Sunday, June 21. The annual event has been a fixture for many years in Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park and brings together indigenous people from many nations and communities in Central BC. The NIPD celebration is also appreciated by many non-indigenous people and organizations which work with the Lheidli T’enneh.
Dayi Clay Poutney said “Despite BC entering Phase 2 of the BC Restart Plan, large gatherings of people are still not supported by public health officials. BC has done very well in slowing the spread of Covid-19 and it makes sense to continue with that strategy while we all enjoy restaurants and other services re-opening with safe-distance and other safety guidelines. While Council had to make the tough decision to cancel this year’s Prince George NIPD celebration, I know our members and other indigenous people in our territory will find a way to celebrate our history, heritage and culture in new ways and in smaller groups. The safety of our members and everyone else in our territory continues to be our top priority and if cancelling our NIPD celebration this year can help us achieve this objective, then it makes good sense.”
