Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Joe Alphonse will not run in the 2025 chief and council election for Tl'etinqox (Anaham).
Alphonse, who also sits as Tribal Chair for the Tŝilhqot’in National Government (TNG), has been Nits’ilʔin of Tl'etinqox for 16 years.
With over 1,000 members, Tl'etinqox is the largest community of the Tŝilhqot’in, a nation consisting of six communities between the Fraser River and the Coast Mountains in west-central British Columbia.
In a special statement posted on Facebook by the TNG on Jan. 27, Alphonse thanked his supporters and said he was proud to be leaving the community in a strong financial situation.
“Without support you can't be Chief - so I am, and always will be, grateful for that,” he said.
“It has been a difficult decision to step away and I hope the community can keep moving forward and build upon what I have established,” Alphonse said, noting it was time he prioritize his own health.
Alphonse said his time as chief was both wonderful and turbulent, and gave his best wishes to the candidates in the community's upcoming election.
The community held a nomination meeting on Jan. 25, and election day will be on Saturday, March 8 at the Tl'etinqox School gym from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.
The Tl'etinqox Government has listed 17 names nominated for chief, two of which were not seconded, and 70 names for councillor, four of which were not seconded.
More to come
