Kukpi7 & Tkwamipla7 (Chief & Council)

Born in Enderby, Doug has served one four-year term as a Tkwamipla7. His previous work experience is in the field of Information and Communications Technology, which has given him an in-depth understanding of structured problem-solving, team building, and working toward organizational excellence.

He is concerned about the pandemic and Splatsin’s emergency response to date and plans to resolve related issues. He also believes in the need for a deeper national understanding of Truth and Reconciliation, and how it affects all of us. Strategic initiatives to uplift the community in areas of employment, housing, and education are very important to Doug, and he plans to improve upon these areas. In addition, Doug wants to focus his attention on Canada’s national legislation for Indigenous child welfare.

Doug recognizes this his term presents many challenges and is looking forward to continuing to merge traditional values and modern leadership at all levels of governance to enhance the lives of the Splatsin Peoples and everyone in Secewepemcúl’ecw.

Beverly (Bev) Thomas was born to Henry and Roselia Thomas in Enderby and is fortunate to share her birthday with her mother. She has seven brothers and seven sisters, however, only one brother and six sisters remain alive today.

With a father in the logging industry, most of her childhood was in and around the Needles and Lumby areas. When her father retired, the family moved back to Splatsin to attend school. She dropped out of school in grade eight and led a transient life moving between British Columbia, Alberta, and Washington State. During this time, she gave birth to one daughter and one son. Bev now has two beautiful granddaughters.

Bev returned home to Splatsin to finish high school, then moved to Alberta to attend Red Crow College where she graduated with a Diploma in Business Administration with honours. Upon returning home, she worked at Splatsin in the areas of finance, administration, youth relations, and at the Splatsin Recovery Home. She also presented on a traditional use study alongside Splatsin elders at the World Indigenous Alcohol and Drug Conference in Germany. Bev assisted Archeologists by recording artefacts, attending field trips to archaeological sites, and facilitating oral history interviews. Most recently, she was a bookkeeper for Quilakwa Station until 2012 when she semi-retired. She is also an active volunteer, assisting various Splatsin groups, catering, gatherings, family functions, and as a bookkeeper for Splatsin Stet’xam.

Len was born in Enderby in 1949 and is married to Bernie Bob, with four sons: Barry, Tony, Lenny (deceased), and Tim. He is familiar with every corner of the territory due to spending his entire childhood and adulthood out on the land, enjoying an active outdoor lifestyle as a territory knowledge keeper.

He has worked mainly in forestry, but also served as Splatsin’s Interim Housing Director, a Caribou Shepherd, Fisheries Monitor, and Yucwmenlúcwu Monitor, Recreation Site Caretaker, Splatsin Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and served two terms as a Splatsin Tkwamipla7 in the 1970s.

Len is also a self-taught builder and mechanic. He was one of the labourers who built the original Quilakwa Station. In his spare time, Len enjoys golf, bowling, hunting, fishing, walking, and visiting friends and family.

Len is honoured to serve the next four years as a Tkwamipla7 for Splatsin. He believes that the community will prosper because we have the human and natural resources to thrive. He understands that building trust is a foundation for the future and plans to work tirelessly to earn the trust of the Splatsin Peoples. Len is a strong believer in leaving no one behind and will work to ensure Splatsin’s policies and procedures reflect that belief.

Sabrina comes from a large Splatsin family with her grandmother, Jean Brown, from the Thomas family, and her grandfather, Gerald William, from the William family. Sabrina’s mother is Maureen Roberts (formerly Thomas), her stepfather is Perry Roberts and her biological father is Tony Vergata. She has five aunts, four uncles, and four siblings. She also has a common-law spouse with whom she shares three beautiful children.

Sabrina takes pride in learning her culture and language. In high school, she was the lead drummer/singer in the drumming group, and always took opportunities to learn what she could from the Indigenous youth group such as joining the Lahal team. She also enjoys attending many Secwépemc gatherings.

Sabrina has enrolled in various education programs but has spent most of her time focusing on gaining valuable experience out in the workforce. Starting as a sales associate at Walmart, she quickly earned promotions leading her to a management position. Leading a team and providing excellent service to customers, Sabrina learned many new things about herself which grew her self-confidence and desire to learn more.

In 2018, Sabrina took an opportunity to move back home to Splatsin and work at Splatsin Development Corporation as the Administrative Assistant. Within three years, she earned multiple promotions, including the Project Control Lead in Yucwmenlúcwu,

Outside of work, Sabrina enjoys spending time with her family. Their favourite activities include swimming, sledding, snowboarding, and simply watching movies together. Sabrina is a skilled musician in singing and playing a multitude of instruments specializing in tenor saxophone and trombone. Although she no longer plays instruments, she enjoys playing music and singing along to her favourite songs with her children.