Photo: Bill Everitt

Penticton’s mayor is expected to make an official proclamation recognizing Pride week, marking a first for the city.

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said he will likely read out a proclamation at this year’s Okanagan Pride Festival in Kelowna.

He said it is part of an ongoing theme in the city of recognizing and showing support for various communities.

“We want to make sure all groups feel welcomed or valued in our community,” he said. “We’ve done stuff for Métis, we’ve done stuff for Vaisakhi days, we’ve done stuff for, you know, different groups.”

He acknowledged that a proclamation is mostly symbolic, but he said it is still a step in the right direction.

“I think it’s just one step further of recognizing the importance of having and supporting diversity and inclusivity in our community,” he said.

He said that symbolism extends beyond Pride, and will likely include banners for various events, such as Pride week, Louis Riel Day, which celebrates Métis history, and Chinese New Year.

“Sometimes a symbolic gesture as the word “Welcome” in 16 languages as you walk into city hall, or putting some banners in some of the prominent corners is a great first step to recognize different groups and cultures,” he said.

The proclamation, which Jakubeit said is likely the first for Pride in the city, comes as part of a diversity strategy the city is undertaking to be more accommodating and welcoming to those with disabilities and the LGBTQ and immigrant communities.

Jozsef Varga, who was involved in bringing the rainbow crosswalk to Penticton Secondary School, said it is important for community leaders to show the LGBTQ community is welcome in the city.

“It’s always nice to be validated by the people in your own community,” he said. “To get that from the highest power of the land, you know, Penticton’s mayor, that would be really nice.”

He said while the rainbow sidewalk at Penticton Secondary is an important symbol from the school’s community, he would like to see something similar from city hall.

“I would like to see a crosswalk downtown using rainbow colours,” he said. “One downtown would definitely show that it’s not just the school that’s accepting and inclusive, it’s the whole community, that this is a community built with all of us in mind.”

Still, he said that he would like to see more than symbolic gestures from the city, moving toward things like mental health support for the LGBTQ community.

No events currently appear to be on the horizon in the city, but Jakubeit said he will be attending the Pride Festival in Kelowna, where he said he would read the proclamation.

He couldn’t say for sure at the time whether other councillors would be joining him, but that he would bring it up in the next council meeting.

This year’s festival will be held from Aug. 6 to Aug 13.