Drivers coming into Kelowna will no longer be confronted by anti-abortion billboards thanks to efforts by Kelowna pro-choice activists and legal support from the BC Humanist Association.
Last spring, UBC Okanagan student Sophie Harms raised over $3000 to erect a billboard that declared that abortions are "safe, normal and common." Unfortunately, the companies that operate billboards around Kelowna refused her application despite some having frequently run anti-abortion and anti-SOGI billboards for years.
When that news broke, the BC Humanist Association reached out to Harms to offer our support. We connected her with the pro-bono legal counsel that's supported our past interventions and helped craft arguments to challenge these refusals.
Kaitlyn Meyers, a partner with Allen / McMillan Litigation Counsel, sent demand letters to Electronic Billboards, BC Billboards, Coast Outdoor Advertising and Pattison Advertising in July. The letters noted that the BC Human Rights Code prohibits sex discrimination, which includes pregnancy and pregnancy-related health impacts such as abortion.
For the following months, Meyers relayed with representatives from the companies. While none agreed to run Harms' ad, they will also not be running anti-abortion advertisements in the future.
Ian Bushfield, Executive Director, BC Humanist Association:
"It's disappointing that these corporations continue to view a medical procedure accessed by around 100,000 Canadian women annually as controversial. Nevertheless, we're proud to have ended the deceptive and manipulative anti-choice propaganda that Kelowna commuters have been subjected to for decades."
The Electronic Billboard and Pattison Advertising both ultimately maintained their rejection. As far as we were able to tell, neither has run anti-choice advertisements in the past. The companies both wanted to avoid "controversial" messages and Pattison apologized for the lack of clarity in its policy and agreed to be more transparent going forward. Pattison has run ads for unregulated (crisis) pregnancy centres on Translink property in Metro Vancouver, as the Charter limits their ability to reject applications there.
Most anti-choice advertising seen in West Kelowna has appeared on BC Billboards' signs. After some back and forth with company president Jim Wannop, he agreed BC Billboards "will no longer be advertising pro life or pro abortion advertising. Any existing ads to that effect will be removed at the end of their contract."
Finally, Coast Outdoor Advertising acts an agent that attempts to secure advertising space from Mountain Media. That company is also owned by Wannop, which initially refused Harms' application.
With the change in policy from BC Billboards and clarity from the remaining companies, there should no longer be visible anti-choice propaganda along Highway 97.
Harms says her next steps are to look into other ways to get the message out that don't rely on gatekeepers.
"I am considering transit advertisements, a mass poster campaign, or the potential of constructing our own billboard in partnership with an altruistic private landowner (if you identify as such, please contact me!). I want to honour all those who have supported this campaign, so I’m committed to ensuring that any alternative advertising avenue strengthens—rather than detracts from—our efforts. I refuse to let local media gatekeepers hinder our activism!"
She extends her gratitude to the BCHA and Kaitlyn Meyers and Molly Robson from AMLC for their assistance. "It's not the end, but it is a start."
You can keep up to date with Sophie's campaign by following prochoice_okgn on Instagram.
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