Osoyoos Chief Clarence Louie to receive honorary UBC degree

The Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band will be receiving an honorary degree from the University of British Columbia at convocation this spring.

Chief Clarence Joseph Louie has been awarded the honorary degree for his economic and cultural contributions, according to a UBC media release.

“Since his election in December of 1984 as Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band of the Okanagan Nation, Clarence Joseph Louie has consistently emphasized economic development as a means to improve his people’s standard of living,” reads the release.

READ MORE: Dr. Bonnie Henry, Greta Thunberg to receive honorary degrees from UBC

Under Louie’s direction, the band has become a multi-faceted corporation that owns and manages eleven businesses and five joint ventures that employ around 1,000 people.

UBC noted Louie’s commitment to preserve First Nations language and culture.

Chief Louie was elected to Tribal Chair by the Okanagan Nation Alliance last year. He received the Order of British Columbia in 2006 and the Order of Canada in 2016. He has also been inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, according to the Business Laureates of British Columbia Hall of Fame.

Secwepmc (Shuswap) Nation Elder Jessie Nyberg will also receive an honorary degree from the university. 

A member of the Canoe Creek Band, Nyberg is described as a traditional Indigenous and academic scholar and visionary leader. She has held positions as a nurse in B.C., Alberta, California and Hawaii practicing acute and community care, specializing in urban, rural and remote Indigenous health.

International environmental activist Greta Thunberg and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will also receive honorary degrees this spring.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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