Many Okanagan Falls (OK Falls) residents are expressing concerns after learning that their vote to incorporate their small South Okanagan community — which narrowly passed by referendum in March — is now tied to conditions from the province and the Osoyoos Indian Band under British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

BREAKING UNDRIP / DRIPA NEWS:

Listen to the citizens of Okanagan Falls groan as they learn that voting to become incorporated now means that First Nations will likely be renaming their community and streets.

OK Falls' population is only 3% Indigenous.https://t.co/Gi9Wj4LxWc pic.twitter.com/3bEnqedkL6

— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) August 11, 2025

B.C.’s DRIPA is the province’s legal adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), an international and “aspirational” framework outlining what rights for Indigenous people should look like according to the globalist entity. UNDRIP was passed by the UN General Assembly in 2007, but carried no legal force in Canada until the province of B.C. turned the aspirations into binding law through DRIPA legislation in 2019.

The issue had been quietly brewing until recently, when Okanagan Falls residents say they’ve been caught off guard by the extensive influence DRIPA grants First Nations over what they believe should be democratic processes.

At an August 6 public meeting, Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) Area “D” Director Matt Taylor told residents that, following the referendum with just 53% support, the province notified local officials of First Nations' requests to exclude Crown lands from the municipality's 'footprint,' rename the municipality and possibly its streets, and be consulted on future development plans.

Taylor noted that these requests came only after the vote. “Important to note, at that point in time, we had had no mention of requests from the province’s First Nations consultation,” he said, adding that he and others had asked repeatedly during the process what First Nations were requesting, only to be told it was “a provincial matter between the province and the First Nation.”

The “footprint” refers to the official municipal boundaries that include parcels of provincial Crown land, particularly a portion along the river, including trails. “People walk along this trail. That’s a trail that we’re going to make as part of our reason for coming to Okanagan Falls,” Taylor explained, highlighting how the shift in jurisdiction could impact the community’s future economic potential.

While the Crown land in question belongs to the province, having it inside OK Falls’ municipal boundaries would give the new local government planning and zoning authority over its use, development, or preservation. Removing it from the footprint strips the municipality of that authority, likely increasing local First Nations' control and influence over the valuable riverfront property.

The province has also signalled it may require an Indigenous advisory committee “to the Mayor and Council” in the letters patent that formally establishes the new municipality. Such a requirement would be at the expense of the municipality upon incorporation.

Taylor suggested that the costs of a name change to residents and business owners would have a serious impact, estimating that even on a “good day,” most businesses would have to update their address with “at least 10 or 15 different organizations,” and larger ones with “more like 100.”

“Will we even be able to read the sign?” one concerned resident shouted during the meeting, shortly after Taylor outlined what may be coming.

The question echoes a recent situation in Vancouver, where residents have voiced frustrations over Trutch Street. It's a street named after Joseph William Trutch, B.C.’s first lieutenant governor, being renamed now to šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street. According to the Musqueam Indian Band, Trutch mistreated Indigenous people, and the City described the name change as part of its ongoing “work toward reconciliation and strengthening relations with xʷməθkʷəy̓ə.”

“Re-vote, re-vote!”

Residents of Okanagan Falls can be heard chanting for a revote after being blindsided by B.C.'s UN inspired DRIPA legislation, following a referendum that passed to incorporate.

Okanagan Falls and its streets will likely be renamed by First Nations. pic.twitter.com/I1DXlAIxWc

— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) August 12, 2025

The word “reconciliation” was raised several times at the OK Falls meeting, often in the context of justifying the power shift expected once the community incorporates. While a few residents expressed understanding of the Crown land request as an effort toward reconciliation — even though some of that area was already part of past land claim settlements — the room appeared united in the belief that, had they known earlier about the potential changes, the vote to incorporate may have gone differently.

 “The controversy exists because the government is ignoring local culture and governments and imposing blanket DRIPA initiatives without proper consultation with local communities,” OK Falls Resident Laura Adamson wrote in a statement to Rebel News. The name Okanagan originated from Indigenous language. Changing it completely may hinder tourism and established businesses within the community,” Adamson continued.

Okanagan is an Indigenous name, derived from the Syilx word ukʷnaqín, which is commonly interpreted to mean either “place of water” or “people living where you can see the top.” Despite that, Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie has defended the possibility of renaming Okanagan Falls, telling CBC, “Okanagan Falls is an important site for our people, we had a reserve there, no one can deny that, and name changes are happening in this country.”

Louie also argued that such decisions aren’t for the democratically elected mayor and council: “When it comes to reconciliation and land claims and Indigenous people having rights, those aren’t up for a vote.”

That position stands in sharp contrast to concerns raised by Vancouver-Quilchena MLA and B.C. Party leader Dallas Brodie, who posted on X that “the local bands, who apparently aren’t even speaking with the incorporators of Okanagan Falls, believe that they are entitled to name the new municipality, to rename streets within it, and then to ‘tighten’ restrictions on new developments. All thanks to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which was voted into law by David Eby AND John Rustad."

During the meeting, Taylor said the province attempted to “socialize” Okanagan Falls officials on the idea of a name change by pointing to other examples. “They told us, well, you know, Haida Gwaii, Regional District have all gone through name changes, and it hasn’t been that bad. In fact, it’s been very well received,” stated Taylor, before pointing out to the group that in the Haida Gwaii case, the local population is over 60% Indigenous, while Okanagan Falls has less than 3% Indigenous residents.

Citing the qathet example, Taylor noted that the province suggested Powell River had embraced a First Nations name change. While the Powell River Regional District was renamed qathet Regional District in 2018, the Tla’amin Nation’s push to rename Powell River City has faced significant community opposition.

In an August 1 letter read to Okanagan Falls residents, Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Christine Boyle informed Taylor that the Ministry is collaborating with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) and the Osoyoos Indian Band to prepare for municipal incorporation—the first in 15 years and the first since the 2019 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

Taylor told Rebel News that the minister has agreed to arrange a meeting with the regional district to discuss the matter further.

This story is ongoing; stay tuned for further updates.

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