A pedestrian waits for a bus in front of a “Living Wall” art project, produced in collaboration with The National Portrait Galler and the Earls Court Development Company, in west London on May 26, 2022. (Photo by Adrian Dennis/AFP Photo)

A robotic dog of the National Guard of Ukraine takes part in the Run4Victory charity marathon, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on October 27, 2024. (Photo by Oleksandr Klymenko/Reuters)

Fireworks light up over Victoria Harbour to celebrate the 75th anniversary of China's National Day, in Hong Kong, China on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Lam Yik/Reuters)

A Samoyed is groomed before being judged on the final day of the Crufts dog show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, central England, on March 9, 2025. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)

English National Opera presents Georges Bizet's “Carmen” at the London Coliseum in London on October 6, 2025. (Photo by Jane Hobson/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A meerkat stands guard as her pups cuddle at Mountain Zebra National Park, South Africa early November 2025. (Photo by Nadine Leonard/Two Point O Media)

Manar Abu Dhabi presents its second public light art exhibition on November 17, 2025. Organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism. KAWS, located at Souq Al Mina, Abu Dhabi. (Photo by Victor Besa/The National)

Originally known to the First Nations of the Okanagan Valley as Khiluk, which was- and remains today revered as a sacred site producing therapeutic waters. During World War I the minerals of Spotted Lake were used in manufacturing ammunition. Later the area came under the control of the Ernest Smith Family, for a term of about 40 years. In 1979 Smith attempted to create interest in a spa at the lake. The First Nations responded with an effort to buy the lake; in October 2001 they finally struck a deal. First Nations arranged the purchase of 22 hectares of land for a total of $720,000, and contributed about 20% of the cost. The Indian Affairs Department paid the remainder.