Voters of the Upper Nicola Band (UNB) will soon have the chance to elect their Chief and Council, with the band announcing a nomination meeting for the beginning of February. The meeting will take place on February 9 at the Quilchena Church, where eligible electors will nominate candidates who will run to serve in the one Chief and nine Councillor positions. 

The last UNB election took place in 2020, as elected officials at the band serve three year terms. The 2020 election saw Chief Harvey McLeod reelected, as well as some of council, with a number of fresh faces in the mix. The Herald has reached out to McLeod to see if he plans to attend the February 9 nomination meeting, or seek re-election. 

“Notice is hereby given that the Upper Nicola Band has called a Nomination Meeting on February 9, 2023, in accordance with the Upper Nicola Band Custom Election Regulations for the purpose of eligible electors nominating candidates for one position of the Office of Chief and nine positions for the Office of Councillor,” reads a statement by UNB.

“The Election Regulations, supporting nomination documents, and the official Voters List of All Eligible Electors shall be posted and available during regular business hours at the Upper Nicola Band Administration Office at the Douglas Lake Reserve, Quilchena Reserve, and Scw’exmx Tribal Administrative Building; can be requested from the Electoral Officer, and will be available to download at www.onefeather.ca/nations/uppernicola.”

Eligible Electors are those who are 18 years of age or older on the date of the nomination meeting, UNB members, and not incarcerated at the time of the Custom Election. The full eligibility requirements can be found through UNB’s OneFeather portal. OneFeather is an Indigenous technology company specializing in local elections for First Nations communities. 

The February 9th nomination meeting will be held at the Quilchena Church, 6961 Douglas Lake Road, in Quilchena. Advanced polling for the election will be held in the same location on March 11, from 8:00am to 8:00pm. Regular polling will take place at the Quilchena Church and the Spaxmn Meeting Place, on March 18 from 8:00am to 8:00pm.

For more information on UNB’s upcoming elections, contact the band’s Electoral Officer, Lawrence Lewis, at 1-855-923-3006, or support@onefeather.ca.