Monument to wildfire volunteers unveiled in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS –  Dozens gathered for the unveiling of a monument dedicated to volunteers outside the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, the site where evacuees were sent to stay during the 2017 wildfire evacuations.

Thompson Nicola Regional District chair Ken Gillis hosted the event with speakers including Mayor Ken Christian, MP Cathy McLeod, MLA Todd Stone, MLA Peter Milobar, Emergency Support Services volunteer Gord Davis and the artists Lee-Anne Chisolm and Aaron Harder.

The regional district announced in November 2017 that the monument would recognize the volunteers who helped during a devastating wildfire season that year, as well as the region's volunteer community.

The "Lend a Hand" design by Lee-Anne Chisholm and Aaron Harder, was one of three chosen by a panel of judges, then later voted upon in the summer of 2018. The artists were former evacuees themselves.

Some Kamloops residents had spoken out against the statue after the district announced it would cost about $100,000.

Though Gillis recognized that some may not be happy about it, he told the crowd that for him the permanence of the gesture is worth it.

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