Mayor: no more proclamations
A B.C. Human Rights tribunal has ruled Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray violated the human rights code when he removed the word "pride" from a "Gay and Lesbian Pride Day" proclamation two years ago.
The Okanagan Rainbow Coalition filed a complaint about the mayor.
The tribunal rejected the gay and lesbian rights group's demands that Gray take sensitivity training, and pay the coalition $10,000 in damages.Gray says he won't be issuing any more civic proclamations. He says the ruling turns him into a "rubber-stamping robot," something he's not willing to become.
As a result, he'll ask city council to drop the whole practice of proclamations.
Cliff Turner of the Okanagan Gay Pride committee says it would be unfortunate if the city decides to stop issuing proclamation, because that would discriminate against everyone.