The future of the Empire Days celebration in Nanaimo is very uncertain.
Nanaimo City Council asked the Empire Days Celebration Society to change their name to exclude the term “empire”, to make the event more inclusive. They voted to hold off on handing over more than $5000 in cultural grants until the Society agreed to a name change.
Mayor Bill McKay was supposed to meet with the Society for a discussion on Wednesday but it was cancelled.
Snuneymuxw Chief John Wesley says he’d like to at least talk to the Society about the options before they scrap the event completely.
