Newcomers to be featured on new banners in O'Leary

The Town of O'Leary will be putting up banners this summer on 12 light poles on Main Street, each featuringa different photo of a newcomer to the areain a town setting.

Town officials are calling thedisplays "diversity banners" and say they want to signal that they are welcomingeveryone.

"O'Leary has always prided itself on being a welcoming community," said Judy MacIsaac, the town councillor who came up with the idea.

"We have lots of people moving here from Ontario and B.C., but we also have the newcomers from foreign countries like India, Vietnam, we have a Filipino community here and they are all moving into our town. So we'd like to make them feel more welcome.

"They'll see that they are a part of the town."

Learning from one another

A local photographer will be helping with the project.

The town is seeking half the cost of the projectfrom the province's community revitalization program, and the townwill cover the other half,MacIsaac said.

The diversity banners should be up by June and will stay up until fall.

MacIsaac said the people of O'Leary and the newcomers are enjoying learning from one another and doing things together, through events such aslearning to skate at the local rink and online cooking classes arrangedby community navigators across P.E.I.

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