The Honourable Steven L. Point was installed as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia on October 1, 2007, becoming the first Indigenous person to hold the position in B.C. His Honour opened the fourth session of the 38th Legislative Assembly on February 12, 2008.
Born in Chilliwack, B.C., Mr. Point received a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of British Columbia in 1985, was called to the Bar in 1986, and appointed as a provincial court judge in 1999. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree from the University College of the Fraser Valley in 2000 and is a recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
Mr. Point served as elected Chief of the Skowkale First Nation for 15 years and served as the tribal chair of the Stó:lo Nation Government. He was honoured as a Grand Chief by the Chiefs of the Stó:lo Tribal Council and was appointed Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission in 2005.
As a gift to the peoples of British Columbia, Mr. Point and Chief Tony Hunt carved a traditional Coast Salish canoe from a red cedar log found on Ross Bay beach in Victoria. The canoe is carved with the shovel nose, eyes, scales, and tail of the legendary monster Slahkum from Chilliwack's Cultus Lake. The canoe is named Shxwtitostel (pronounced: Schwe-tea-tos-tel), which in Halq'eméylem means a "safe place to cross the river," representing the idea of a bridge between peoples. The canoe was gifted in 2010 as a symbol of the former Lieutenant Governor's belief that "no matter where you are from, we all need to paddle together, because we are in the same canoe." Shxwtitostel is currently on display in the Lower Rotunda of the Parliament Buildings.
