At the bottom of kɬúsx̌nítkʷ (Okanagan Lake) in snpink’tn (Penticton) on Aug. 26, community members gather and pray for the health of the land and for those affected by wildfires this summer. Photo by Aaron Hemens
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The Okanagan was the very first community IndigiNews committed to covering.
When we launched in 2020, we made a promise to report on syilx Okanagan communities week after week with a consistency that shows our care and respect for the peoples and their territories.
For the past four years, that promise has been kept by our reporter in the region, Aaron Hemens.
Today, his work is at risk.
Aaron on the ground in April 2024, reporting on a cultural burn.
The funding that supported Aaron’s incredible reporting has ended. Without new support, IndigiNews will no longer be able to provide the same quality of dedicated storytelling we’ve offered in syilx Okanagan communities.
Our goal is to raise $35,000 from our community of IndigiNews readers to keep Aaron covering the Okanagan. If we can reach our goal, we’ll be able to keep Aaron on the Okanagan beat for another full year — ensuring his vital reporting continues without interruption.
Aaron, a settler of mixed Filipino and European heritage, approaches his work with IndigiNews by centering the communities he’s reporting on. He believes journalism should be done in a good way — through building relationships that centre community protocol and accountability.
As a man of colour, Aaron is very aware of what it means to be overlooked, misrepresented, and excluded in news media and beyond. This knowledge inspires him to show up at community gatherings, council meetings and court hearings to sensitively document the conversations that rarely make national headlines but nevertheless inform them.
nkwancinem Kim Montgomery dances at the Similkameen powwow arbour grounds on July 23, after being honoured for her 20 years of service with the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Photo by Aaron Hemens
This trust wasn’t built overnight. It took years of showing up for the people of the Okanagan.
Across “Canada,” local journalism is disappearing. News deserts are spreading, hitting Indigenous communities particularly hard. As a result, important decisions are going undocumented, local histories are getting left unwritten, and people are less and less able to hold powerful institutions accountable.
Stories disappear and, with them, access to the beating hearts of entire communities.
At IndigiNews, we believe all communities deserve reporters who know the people they serve — not only during moments of crisis.
That’s why we’re asking for your help.
Community members exit a canoe after arriving in Penticton on July 30. The canoe was carved by Herman Edward, who participated in the original journey in 2001. Photo by Aaron Hemens
As a registered Canadian charity, every eligible donation receives a charitable tax receipt. Whether you become a dependable monthly Firekeeper or make a one-time gift, your support directly sustains independent Indigenous journalism.
Every dollar protects the relationships IndigiNews has created — relationships that cannot simply be replaced.
If you’ve ever read one of Aaron’s stories, shared our reporting, or believe Indigenous communities deserve devoted local journalism, please consider making a gift today.
Together, we can ensure the Okanagan continues to have the journalism it deserves.
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