By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
Pride festivities in the Town of Oliver will go ahead after the organization in charge of putting the event together was given a financial boost by Council.
The Wide Arts National Association (WANA) requested the extra funding from Council ahead of their 2nd annual Pride March and Picnic, scheduled for June 21. Through the Grant in Aid funding channel, Tony Munday, the WANA Volunteer Coordinator, sought an amount of $910 to reach the funding goal for the event.
Last year, WANA received important funding from the South Okanagan Similkameen Pride Association to host the debut March and Picnic. That funding was not available from SOS Pride this year due to their own financial headwinds. Munday explained that, in addition to the finding request, WANA would be scaling down the scope of this year’s activities.
“We took the budget, pared it down; we decided not to hire a DJ, and we’re going to do our own little dance party of our own,” Munday said.
The march, and the subsequent event in the Community park, would otherwise remain the same in terms of layout and itinerary as it was in 2025, with opening remarks in front of Town Hall from community leaders and participants, followed by the march down the sidewalks in Oliver to the Community Park’s band shell, where the picnic and dance party would take place.
“It would be the same as last year, where we started at 11 AM at Town Hall, and then migrated, and we were wrapped up and finished by 3 (PM),” Munday said in response to a question from Mayor Martin Johansen about the start time for the event.
From an administrative standpoint, the Grant in Aid funding request from WANA met all the specified criteria, and the Grant in Aid budget currently sits at $16,687, being more than able to cover the $910 amount needed to fund the Pride event.
Council unanimously approved contributing the $910 for the event to be able to go ahead.
