The massive success story of the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) is about to gain even more national attention, as the cast and crew of the popular hit series Still Standing spent several days on the Oliver reserve last week.
Newfoundlander Jonny Harris, host of the Canadian television series 鈥� which premiered on CBC in the summer of 2015 鈥� and a production crew attended the 95th birthday celebrations of Jane Stelkia, the OIB鈥檚 oldest living resident, this past Friday afternoon and evening in Osoyoos.
Still Standing鈥檚 tagline, 鈥渢owns that are against the ropes but are still hanging in there,鈥� reflects the show鈥檚 premise: telling the stories of Canadian small towns and how they overcome struggles.
A hybrid comedy and reality series, the program features well-known stand-up comedian and actor Harris as he and his crew travel to small Canadian communities鈥攎ost of which are struggling financially but are 鈥渟till standing.鈥� Harris spends time getting to know the residents and their lifestyles.
At the end of each trip, Harris performs a stand-up comedy routine, incorporating anecdotes and jokes inspired by his experiences with the community. Harris performed his standup set Monday evening at the NK' Mip Cultural Centre.
The episode featuring the OIB will kick off Still Standing鈥檚 11th season when it premieres in September.
As has become tradition for almost three decades, Stelkia celebrated her birthday by riding a horse, joined by members of her family, friends, and supporters from the OIB.
This year, she rode her horse, Gunner, on a short trip up to the Spirit Ridge Resort, located on OIB land near Osoyoos. More than two dozen family members and friends joined her on the ride.
Following the ride, Stelkia鈥檚 birthday celebration continued at a clubhouse at the Nk鈥橫ip Campground, where she and dozens of family and friends enjoyed her favourite meal: roast beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
In an exclusive interview with Okanagan Newspaper Group, Harris said he was thrilled to be back in the Okanagan Valley, as he and the Still Standing crew previously showcased the community of Okanagan Falls.
鈥淲e visited Okanagan Falls a couple of years ago and I just fell in love with the area,鈥� said Harris, who is best known for his role on the hit Canadian series Murdoch Mysteries. 鈥淚 actually love it here.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always lovely coming to this special part of British Columbia, especially at this time of year. The crew and I just survived a winter storm in Toronto, so it was amazing to land here and enjoy the spring weather.鈥�
While the upcoming episode will include highlights from Stelkia鈥檚 birthday celebration, its main focus will be the OIB鈥檚 remarkable economic success over the past several decades.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more about telling the OIB story and some of its history,鈥� Harris explained. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a huge economic turnaround, with many successful, thriving businesses now. It鈥檚 great to feature such a strong success story 鈥� especially an Indigenous success story 鈥� and share what鈥檚 happened with the OIB.鈥�
The episode will include an interview with Chief Clarence Louie, who has received national and international recognition for transforming the OIB from a reserve with high unemployment into the most economically successful First Nations community in Canada.
鈥淲e had a few words with Chief Louie earlier today,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淲e also finished an interview with Jane Stelkia and her son Aaron yesterday 鈥� they told us all about the cattle ranching and wild horse history.
鈥淏eyond that, we visited SenPokChin Elementary School this morning and talked to the kids and teachers about food sovereignty and language. The kids were super keen 鈥� we even had some prickly pear cactus roasted over the fire like marshmallows. It was a lot of fun.鈥�
Hosting a show that has taken him and his crew to hundreds of small communities across Canada over the past decade has been a dream job, Harris added.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a remarkable way to see the country,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 still pinch myself. Still knock on wood. It鈥檚 been pretty great.鈥�
To be considered for an episode, a community must submit a proposal to the show鈥檚 producers, who then select a subset for inclusion in the series.
Filming occurs during the three hiatuses Harris takes each year from shooting Murdoch Mysteries, in which he plays Constable George Crabtree.
In addition to his television and film work, Harris has performed at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Montreal鈥檚 Just for Laughs, and the Halifax Comedy Festival. In 2018, he co-hosted the 6th Annual Canadian Screen Awards with Emma Hunter.
Harris, 49, was born in Pouch Cove, Newfoundland.
Louie said he鈥檚 honoured that Still Standing chose to tell the story of the band鈥檚 success and looks forward to watching the episode when it airs on CBC this fall.
