Sechelt Indian Band councillor Garry Feschuk was awarded a B.C. Aboriginal Business Award for Individual Achievement on Oct. 16 in Vancouver.
“The award recognizes an individual who has been a leader in developing economic initiatives within his or her community or who has been in an entrepreneur who has developed a successful and sustained enterprise,” said Nora Newlands, executive director with the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, which gives out the award. “The individual is a role model and an inspiration to others through leadership, vision, commitment, and resourcefulness.”
Feschuk was singled out for his 26 years of work on council encouraging economic development and Aboriginal business start up locally and throughout the province.
“To me I believe that I’m receiving it on behalf of my community because our community has a number of strategies that we’re working on and they’re all starting to come to fruition,” he said. “I really believe that you’re only as good as your council and you’re only as good as your organization and every council that comes before that’s elected by our community. I really believe that each previous council makes it a little bit easier for the next council to keep moving things forward.
“The same with our organization. We have a very key, focused and dedicated team of directors and staff that work for our Nation and our goal is to keep moving our Nation forward and assisting other Nations where we need to.”
He doesn’t know who nominated him for the award, but said he was honoured to receive it.
“To me it’s a real honour and a privilege, but I think it’s more of an honour and a privilege to have the confidence of your community to keep electing you back to council to continue the work that’s happening,” Feschuk said.
