Powell River Coun. Jim Palm is prepared to meet with members of the Tla’amin Nation to apologize for remarks made during a council meeting.
Palm has been under fire, accused of racism, after making up a place name during talk about a referendum on changing the city’s name.
It happened during a council discussion two weeks ago.
During an emotional 15 minute speech Tuesday afternoon, Palm says everyone makes mistakes but a community should forgive and forget.
“I made a mistake on the 30th (of January) and I’ll be the first one. I have requested to go to Tla’amin and meet the members of that entire community and apologize for a mistake I made. That’s in the works of being organized and I look forward to that,” Palm said.
Palm says he never meant to cause harm or any hurt.
“I am going to be going to the Nation to personally apologize for a mistake and I’ll bring the mayor with me as my witness. So that’s the intention of this day and what I’ve had to be put through today, very much hurts me,” he said.
Palm was referring to the scores of critical letters and two delegations during Tuesday’s meeting.
Palm says he’ll also be meeting with the school board after his wife, who is a coach at Brooks Secondary School, was in tears over a comment on the school district’s website branding Palm as a racist. “That is beyond the pale for me,” he said.
Palm said his wife might quit. “She said to me, I can’t coach any more at Brooks as a result of this. That’s a real shame for our community.”
The councillor wants the school superintendent to convince his wife to stay on and to have the comment removed from the district’s website.
City council also passed a formal apology to the Tla’amin people and also wants to organize a circle with the First Nation to repair the relationship.
