Syilx Okanagan Territory (Okanagan and Similkameen Watersheds): The Okanagan Similkameen Collaborative Leadership Table (CLT) has adopted a resolution recognizing the unprecedented water scarcity facing the region and committing to collaborative action to protect the watersheds that sustain communities, ecosystems, and future generations.
The resolution acknowledges the Syilx Okanagan Nation Watershed Emergency Declaration (Tribal Council Resolution 576) adopted by the Chiefs Executive Council on May 15, 2026, which declared a Watershed Emergency in response to record-low snowpack, worsening drought conditions, declining watershed health, and increasing risks to fish, wildlife, communities, and local economies.
“Water connects every community in this watershed. The challenges we face cannot be solved by any one government or organization acting alone. This resolution reflects our shared commitment to work together to protect the health of our watersheds for generations to come.” – y̓il̓mixʷm simo, Chief Robert Louie, Westbank First Nation’s Chief and Co-Chair of the CLT
A Shared Commitment
The resolution recognizes that siwɬkʷ – water is fundamental to the ecological, cultural, social, and economic well-being of the region and affirms the importance of coordinated action among the Syilx Okanagan Nation, local governments, the Province of British Columbia, water suppliers, watershed organizations, and other partners.
Through the resolution, the Collaborative Leadership Table is calling on the Province of British Columbia to work collaboratively with regional partners to:
- reduce the risks associated with water scarcity through coordinated preparedness and watershed management;
- improve monitoring and assessment of watershed conditions;
- support equitable and ecologically sustainable water sharing while respecting existing legal authorities and Syilx knowledge, rights and responsibilities;
- strengthen data sharing and coordinated decision-making during drought and other watershed emergencies; and
- accelerate investments in watershed restoration, climate adaptation, and the protection of wetlands, headwaters, springs, riparian areas, floodplains, and groundwater recharge areas.
The resolution also confirms the CLT’s commitment to using the Collaborative Leadership Table and the 250-Year Okanagan–Similkameen Watershed Responsibility Plan as a regional forum for advancing collaborative watershed governance and long-term resilience.
Building on Syilx Leadership
The Watershed Emergency Declaration reflects observations from Syilx Elders, knowledge holders, and technical experts who have documented rapidly changing watershed conditions, including historically low snowpack, drying creeks and wetlands, increasing water temperatures, declining ecosystem health, and growing threats to drinking water, fish populations, cultural practices, and community safety.
The declaration also calls for immediate and long-term action, including watershed restoration, improved water conservation, strengthened monitoring, collaborative governance, and greater investment in watershed resilience.
The Collaborative Leadership Table views this resolution as an important step toward implementing those priorities through government-to-government collaboration and shared responsibility across the watershed.
About the Okanagan Similkameen Collaborative Leadership Table
The Okanagan Similkameen Collaborative Leadership Table is a government-to-government forum bringing together the Syilx Okanagan Nation and local governments throughout the Okanagan and Similkameen watersheds. Established through a Memorandum of Agreement signed in 2024, the CLT provides a collaborative space to advance watershed stewardship, strengthen relationships, and implement the shared vision of the 250-Year Okanagan–Similkameen Watershed Responsibility Plan.
Media Contact:
Okanagan Nation Alliance
Tara Montgomery, Communications Lead
Email: tmontgomery@syilx.org
Phone: 250-862-6866
READ THE FULL RESOLUTION HERE: CLT Resolution June 30 2026
MEDIA RELEASE PDF COPY:Media Release CLT RESOLUTION