SD73 board chair stands behind elementary school naming process, says public input was considered

Of more than 1,300 responses received from the public on five proposed names for the school, 856 were in favour of Pineview Valley and 196 supported Sníne, the Secwepemc word (pronounced ‘Sneena’) for owl.

“If it was determined to have a certain type of name, why not just say so, instead of offering other options such as the name of a person?” Mel Rothenburger wrote in his Armchair Mayor column on cfjctoday.com.

“And if it was going to blatantly ignore input from the public, why ask for it? Why not just make the decision itself, which it did anyway, instead of going through the pretense of seriously considering what the public had to say about it?”

Rothenburger said there is nothing wrong with the name, though he would have preferred honouring a respected educator or other community leader.

He suggested Senator Len Marchand Sr., a Kamloops resident, MP and the nation’s first Indigenous cabinet minister.

SD73 trustees in attendance for the vote (all but one was present, according to Grieve) voted unanimously for Sníne.

They took into account consultation with the 25-member naming committee, which Grieve said included representatives from the Kamloops-Thompson Teachers’ Association, CUPE, administrative representatives, assistant superintendents, trustees, the Aboriginal Education Council and Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, along with parents of future students.

Copperhead elementary (174 in favour), S7etqwllp (Ponderosa Pine) elementary (59 in favour) and Spelq’wéqs (Turtles) elementary (43 in favour) were among five finalists that were part of the public consultation process, along with Pineview Valley and Sníne.

The board engaged in debate on Monday before motioning to approve Sníne, said Grieve.

“Sometimes, people are in great support of an idea, but they also aren’t sitting in the committee room with the 25 members who have been meeting regularly and this has been a discussion for a period of time, and they didn’t talk through all the reasons for the different names and why they’re being put forward,” Grieve said.

“Being really aware that reconciliation is active and it’s not a stagnant thing, we really do need to ensure we’re hearing all voices, including Tk’emlups and the voices of the lands we are currently guests on.”

Grieve said much has changed in 24 years since the most-recent naming of an elementary school (Pacific Way) in Kamloops, including administrative policy.

“Part of that administrative procedure includes considering the land and consultation with the rights-holder of our land, which is Tk̓emlúps,” Grieve said. “We’ve learned a lot since then about historical significance. They’re not being named after people or former trustees like maybe they were a number of years ago.”

Construction of Sníne is slated to begin in May and wrap up in the fall of 2026.

“We feel good that we followed the process,” Grieve said. “We also recognize that, yeah, it’s not necessarily going to resonate with everybody, but we’re hopeful people will at least feel good about the fact that it was something that was very thoughtful.

“It was really taking the whole picture, not just that final part (community consultation). It wasn’t a decision that was already set before we began the process.”

For renderings of the new school, visit this site.

by Marty Hastings

SD73 board chair stands behind elementary school naming process, says public input was considered

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