Beginning in 2016, the SLRD has partnered with Lil’wat Nation and the Village of Pemberton to organize four Nuk̓w7antwal̓ Regional Gatherings. With funding support from UBCM’s Community to Community Program, these gatherings are an opportunity for southern Stl’atl’imx and local governments to come together to explore more deeply the meaning of “Nuk̓w7antwal̓ wi ku st̓ ak-menlhkalh”, which is an Ucwalmicwts phrase meaning, “We help each other to find the way.”
One of the recommendations to come out of the 2017 Gathering was for the parties to form an Intergovernmental Relations Committee to strengthen relationships, improve communication, foster regional collaboration, and move reconciliation efforts forward. A key focus of the 2018 Gathering was to advance efforts to establish the committee.
The Nuk̓w7ántwal̓ Intergovernmental Relations Committee was established in 2018 with the purpose of strengthening relationships, building trust and increasing understanding between neighbouring communities in the southern Stl’atl’imx region. Composed of Elected Officials and senior staff from the participating communities, the Committee serves as an information exchange, coordinating body, and as a task force to implement projects that fall within the committee’s mandate. The committee is not a decision-making body.
Two additional Nuk̓w7antwal̓ Gatherings took place in 2022 and 2024. A fifth Gathering was scheduled to take place in 2025, but had to be postponed due to cultural protocol. The staff Organizing Committee hopes to reschedule the meeting to take place in the first quarter of 2026.