Kelowna

The Kelowna Right to Life Society held the opening event of Protect Human Life Week on Saturday in Mission Creek Park.

Photo: Contributed - Sean O'Connor

Members of the Kelowna Right to Life Society marched in Mission Creek Park Saturday.

When the City of Kelowna proclaimed the week, controversy arose after the group requested that city hall fly a Pro-life flag during the week.

Opposition to that request became so strong that the city decided to end its policy of flying courtesy flags for any group. 

That led the Society's Executive Director, Marlon Bartram, to claim they were treated unfairly by the city.

Bertram says the society has received several emails threatening to burn or destroy the flag if it was flown over City Hall.

"(Because of the threats) all locations will have 24 hour video surveillance of the grounds surrounding their flag poles."

Expect the controversy to continue this week as the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada and its organizers in Kelowna have announced a week-long protest of their own.

The group says "In response to Mayor Walter Gray’s refusal to rescind the proclamation...protesters will meet at Kelowna City Hall from noon to 1:00 p.m. each weekday, September 24 to 28, with the exception of Wednesday, when they will meet from noon to 5:00 p.m."

“The mayor has claimed that proclamations do not represent an endorsement by the city, but the city’s proclamation policy tells a different story,” says Joyce Arthur, Executive Director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.

“The ‘Protect Human Life Week’ proclamation far exceeds the role of a neutral event announcement. Specifically, the city is undermining women’s equality rights and encouraging and endorsing a view that is contrary to Canadian and international law.”

“Abortion rights are under fire all across North America right now," says Kelowna activist Dianne Varga.

"Here in Canada, Stephen Woodworth’s Motion 312... is going to a vote in the House of Commons on September 26. Motion 312 challenges the definition of a human being that's set out in the Criminal Code. If Woodworth is successful in promoting his motion, it will reopen the abortion debate in this country and threaten to re-criminalize abortion.”