This year, when you meet Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran, you will find he is wearing an orange shirt and is saving himself the flag waving for another day.
“This is still an amazing country,” Basran said, but he sees Canada Day as a time to reflect rather than celebrate.
KelownaNow interviewed the mayor on June 30th.
“There’s a distinct change in tone,” he said. “I think given the news about boarding schools and our dealings with indigenous peoples, I think the mood is a bit gloomy.”
He sees the latest confirmation of nearly a thousand unmarked graves on dormitory properties not as the end of patriotism, but as a time to pause and reflect.
“It’s very tragic,” said Basran.
Image Credit: KelownaNow File 2018 “src =” https://www.kelownanow.com/files/files/images/canadaday2.jpeg “style =” margin: 5px; “/>
“I’m just asking people to be respectful of one another. And respect that opinions may differ as to how you deal with Canada Day. But this is not a day of division. “
The City of Kelowna is in the process of implementing Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations regarding local government.
“Now that people have a lot of it in their heads, I hope we don’t just sweep it under the rug with the next news cycle,” Basran said.
He hopes to see progress on this matter by next Canada Day.
“Let’s hope we’ve taken some dramatic and significant steps towards reconciliation that are absolutely worth celebrating.”
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