It’s unfortunate that the City of Vernon has such a narrow vision when it comes to marketing.
On Monday, council voted to no longer provide the Queen Silver Star committee with a float or the support vehicles necessary to take it on the road.
While safety of the current float was put forward as the reason, the driving force appears to be a new philosophy at city hall. Officials are convinced the float only represents Vernon Winter Carnival and not the community itself.
“Groups have to understand that it’s not the city’s jurisdiction to keep them afloat,” said Mayor Akbal Mund.
“The city will not spend $40,000, $50,000 or $60,000 on a new float. It’s not our responsibility.”
But the reality is that when the float does travel out of town to events, it does represent the community and Queen and Princess Silver Star are ambassadors for the entire community.
Now the float has only gone to local events in recent years but that’s likely indicative of the condition of the vehicle and a lack of funds to travel. If those issues were addressed, Vernon could be promoted far and wide, especially at a time when the city’s economic development officer wants people to move here.
Instead of abandoning the float altogether, the city should have pursued options that would have seen it remain involved, even if it was at a reduced rate.
We would encourage residents who want to see Vernon marketed across B.C. and in Alberta to provide input to city hall.