OSOYOOS INDIAN BAND

A couple of days ago I was lucky enough to be invited along to a peer group training session that was being jointly conducted by the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) and Vincor Canada.

The OIB are one of the most successful Indian Bands in Canada and perhaps the world. Much of this success can be attributed to Chief Clarence Louis.

Chief Louis is much demand all around Canada and beyond to speak primarily about Indian issues and how hard work, planning and perserverence can make First Nation people self-sufficient and proud.

Vincor is Canada's largest wine producer and has vineyards and facilities scattered throughout Canada. Vincor operates a major wine facility in the Okanagan Valley of British Colunbia, near the town of Oliver. Vincor has a very good working relationship with the OIB and this peer group training session was developed to strengthen these ties.

Two well regarded drug and alcohol facilitators flew in from Ontario to conduct the session which around 30 people attended.

Chief Loius, adorned in a colourful Washington Redskins jacket addressed the audience and said to them that eighty percent of people on the OIB Reservation could handle alcohol and of those the ones who worked attended on a regular basis. He said the problem lay with the twenty percent who had drug and alcohol issues, and if members of this group worked their attendance was sketchy at best.

He said he wasn't against alcohol, especially since some of OIB businesses sold or produced alcoholic beverages. He said the problem was that many Indian's couldn't control their drinking and did not know when to stop. He said that he hoped that by training and providing peer mentors on the Reservation and in the workplace many of the issues that OIB members and Vincor employees faced around drug and alcohol issues may be avoided and that the peer counsellors would become the first step towards further treatment or other services.

After hearing from the Chief attendees were asked for their input around current issues on the Reservation and in the workplace.

Lunch was a interesting experience. Instead of the usual sandwiches and salad we had stew and fried bread a specialty of Mona, one of the OIB members.