A protest by supporters of public breast-feeding is planned for next Tuesday's West Kelowna council meeting. Photographer: Contributed

Breast-feeding supporters plan West Kelowna ‘feed-in’

WEST KELOWNA – A group of breast-feeding supporters are planning a mass 'feed-in' at the next West Kelowna council meeting, dissatisfied with the reception given by councillors to a delegation promoting breast-feeding at the last council meeting.

Last week, as part of a class project, a delegation of UBC Okanagan nursing students and a public health nurse from Interior Health asked council to support the Baby Friendly initiative. They wanted council to affirm their support for public breast-feeding by displaying universal symbol stickers in city-owned facilities, as well as educating employees and local businesses about the rights of nursing mothers.

The right to breast-feed in public is already enshrined within the B.C. Human Rights Code and has received support from Kelowna and Lake Country, but several councillors asked hard questions of the group. No councillor moved to support the Baby Friendly initiative and Mayor Doug Findlater told them only that they would consider their request at a later date.

Now a Facebook group called West Kelowna Feed-In is vowing to show support for breast-feeding at the district offices. Members were busy yesterday designing placards for the demonstration.

"Local women are disheartened by the comments made by their city councillors and disappointed in the council's decision to decline the request,” said group representative Lisa Ford, in a press release. "Women, mothers, fathers and friends plan to gather at West Kelowna city council chambers on Tuesday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m. to show this council that The Baby Friendly Initiative is important to the city of West Kelowna."

On Monday, West Kelowna issued a press release of its own, denying that council had turned down the request and stating that Findlater would be making a noice of motion at next Tuesday’s council meeting, for consideration at the April 14 meeting.

The motion would direct staff to report on the costs and implications of implementing a Baby Friendly policy in the district.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infotelnews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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3 responses

  1. Laila May

    Healthy babies are a wonderful thing, but some people are not comfortable witnessing the breastfeeding process and I think that should be respected…I agree with making special nursing areas for mothers, but it is unrealistic to expect everyone to be fine with breastfeeding in public. I understand your cause and that you’re just trying to stand up for yourselves, but if it infringes upon the comfort of others, then your tactics should be reconsidered to accommodate them also.

  2. Anne Lees Maier

    For heaven’s sake ladies, get a life. don’t you have anything better to do?

  3. Andrea Condon

    Cost for implementing a baby friendly policy?The group wants to put stickers up!Honestly D.W.K is just trying to brush this issue under the carpet hoping it will go away.Well it won’t and that kind of attitude only makes people more annoyed!We live in the 21st century and it is about time our Councillors and Mayor joined us!

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John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca

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