By Adam Donnelly

Premier announces ‘Above and Beyond Awards’ in Kamloops

Oct 14, 2017 | 4:45 PM

KAMLOOPS — Premier John Horgan was in Kamloops Saturday, to announce the creation of the ‘Above and Beyond Awards’ program, which recognizes individuals and organizations who answered the call during the 2017 flood and wildfire seasons.

“It was an extraordinary fire season, following an extraordinary flood season,” Premier Horgan told the first responders, emergency service providers, and dignitaries gathered at the Provincial Wildfire Coordination Centre. “I want to thank… those who did the outstanding work in the flood season, and those across the province who came together for one of the worst fire seasons in our history.”

The ‘Above and Beyond Awards’ allows anyone throughout BC to nominate someone who they feel is worthy of recognition for their actions during the difficult spring and summer. At the announcement today, four of the awards were handed out.

Among the first recipients of the ‘Above and Beyond Awards’ were Jamie McLean and Dusti Naud, for setting up a donation centre for wildfire evacuees. McLean says receiving the award was the perfect finish to a busy period of time.

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“It’s pretty amazing. we just closed the [donation] centre yesterday, so it’s kind of a very nice ending to a very long summer,” McLean told CFJC Today.

Nacoma George, a member of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc council also accepted an award on behalf of the band, for their work in caring for wildfire evacuees and their animals this summer.

“Our community just opened our doors, and we just welcomed everyone in because we knew a lot of people would need a place to stay,” George said. “It’s a great honour to be one of the first recipients… It’s all the [Tk’emlups te Secwepemc] community members, the staff, the volunteers. They’re the ones who made it a safe place for all the evacuees.”

Premier Horgan also called upon other British Columbians to nominate someone they saw for going above and beyond this year.

“I want to urge all of you… to think about who you can nominate; a family member, someone across the street, someone you worked with at the ESS. Someone who was there at the evacuation centre,” Horgan said. “We want to make sure 2017 is remembered as the great moment where we all came together and demonstrated the proud community spirit that makes us so strong as a province and as a country.”

If you have someone you’d like to nominate for the Above and Beyond Awards, you can click here. Nominations close on January 15th, 2018.