Chief Clarence Louie (y̓ilmixʷm ki law na), who has been leader of the Osoyoos Indian Band since 1985, has been named a recipient of an honorary degree by the University of British Columbia (UBC).
“Chief Louie has consistently emphasized economic development as a means to improve his people’s standard of living,” said a statement from UBC.
“Under his direction, the Band has become a multi‐faceted corporation that owns and manages eleven businesses and five joint ventures, employing approximately one thousand people.”
Chief Louie was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 2006, the Order of Canada in 2017 and became the first Indigenous inductee into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2019.
As a community leader with the Syilx Okanagan people, the 61 year-old chief has been helping preserve Indigenous heritage by incorporating First Nations language and culture in the Osoyoos area projects he has organized though the Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corporation (OIBDC).
The Osoyoos Indian Band controls about 32,000 acres of land north of Oliver to Osoyoos and has 540 members.
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In 2020, Chief Louie took over the Tribal Chair role of the Okanagan Nation Alliance, replacing Grand Chief Stewart Phillip.