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  • HONOURING CHIEF DR. SOPHIE PIERRE FROM THE KTUNAXA NATION

    INDIGENOUS TOURISM LEGACY AWARDEE

RECONCILIATION, TRUTH, AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

Current ITBC Chair Brenda Baptiste was honoured to present the Indigenous Tourism BC Legacy Award to Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre, respected Ktunaxa elder, long-time leader, and former ITBC Board Chair.  Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre worked with the Ktunaxa to transform the painful history of the Kootenay Indian Residential School into a tourism legacy of reconciliation, truth, and community empowerment.

DECADES OF SERVICE AND ADVOCACY

Accepting the award for her contribution to Indigenous Tourism BC, Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre reminisced with gratitude: “It’s really good to be here with you, to return back here to the west coast, to Vancouver in particular, and more importantly to the family I have here with Indigenous Tourism BC.” 

She spent nine years in the former residential institution. She later championed its rebirth as St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino, now a living place of culture and language, and a thriving tourism and economic development project by and for the Ktunaxa Nation. Together, the five Ktunaxa communities chose to transform the ugliness of the building and its story. 

Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre has also received the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada for her decades of service and advocacy. A highly respected Indigenous leader, she blazed trails for Indigenous women. She made enduring contributions as an advocate for First Nations economies and communities, including her own, through long-time service as Chief of the St. Mary’s Band Council, co-chair of the First Nations Summit, and chief commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission.

Ktunaxa opened St. Eugene

TURN IT INTO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

“Are we going to stay with the ugly or are we going to turn it into something beautiful for our future? It was the people who made the decision,” shared Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre with the audience at Indigenous Tourism BC’s 2025 Annual General Meeting, where she was honoured. 

In 2003, the Ktunaxa opened St. Eugene started telling a new story about the former residential institution. “We have five Indian reserves that decided yes, we’re going to take this back, and we’re going to turn it into something that is going to be good for our future. We’re going to change the story because everything comes back to story.”

“WHAT’S GOING ON INSIDE THAT BUILDING TODAY IS VERY GOOD.” ~ Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre

ITBC Chair Brenda Baptiste was honoured to present Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre the Indigenous Tourism Legacy Award for her service and leadership to Indigenous Peoples through tourism and support for ITBC since its inception.

“The work that you have done to take something that was a very dark chapter of history and turn it into a celebration and to take that back to make something incredible is really the foundation of what Indigenous tourism is. That’s what we’re doing. We’re telling our stories in our way and sharing what we want to share,” said Baptiste as she presented the award to the former Chair of Indigenous Tourism BC.

Thank you to Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre, recipient of ITBC’s Indigenous Tourism Legacy Award.

“OUR ORGANIZATION CONTINUES TO GROW AND TO BE VERY STRONG.” 

Chief Dr. Sophie Pierre accepted the award in front of an audience of Indigenous tourism operators and allies at the  2025 ITBC Indigenous Tourism Gathering and AGM, sharing her fondness for the community and the work ITBC does. “I was part of the organization for a long time and have very many happy memories. And it’s good to see a lot of old friends, and it’s good to see a lot of new faces. Our organization continues to grow and to be very strong,” she said.