Smithers Town Council has voted in favour of postponing a potential in person Centennial Celebration of Smithers Incorporation until 2022.
The celebration is to memorialize 100 years of Smithers being the first Village in the province to be incorporated into the Village Municipalities Act.
According to a report by Town Staff, this occurred in October 1921.
Councillor Frank Wray said this is an event worth celebrating.
“I think the longer COVID drags on the more an in person celebration might be appreciated by everybody so, I think it’s worth waiting for,” he said.
Town Staff also included some COVID-19 friendly ideas to celebrate the milestone, including planting 100 trees, painting a mural in the downtown core and providing a distanced centennial walk.
The staff report also added no funding has been provided for an event for 2021 but if the event were to be held in 2022, staff would apply to funding for an event.
In the report, Town Staff also recommended founding a select committee for the event.
Council is also in the process of considering if celebration will be held this year.
Councillor Lorne Benson said the sooner a committee is formed the better.
“It will take some time to get together, a group of volunteers and for them to meet and come up with some suggestions to come back to us [council] to report upon and so the sooner we can move forward with that probably the better the result,” he said.
The motion to postpone the celebration was passed with Councillor Casda Thomas and Mayor Gladys Atrill opposed and further discussion on if a celebration will be held in 2021 is expected at the next regular council meeting on April 13.
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