It’s been nearly a week of unrest since the Christie Mountain Wildfire began having its effect on the people of Penticton.
For John Vassilaki - another major test since taking over as mayor of Penticton in October of 2018, given he's already working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vassilaki’s list of friends has been built up over 64 years of living in the Okanagan. He has many business dealings.
However, like so many others, John Vassilaki and wife Barbara spent the past week on edge - and on evacuation alert given their home is in the south east part of Penticton.
At 10:30 Monday morning, the EOC officially lifted the evacuation alert for 3,669 properties within city limits.
So, it felt very good for Vassilaki to address reporters and the public during Monday’s EOC media briefing with positive news.
“Thank you for having me here today. It’s always a pleasure, especially on a day when we have good news for the City of Penticton,” said Vassilaki. “While this past week was filled with worry, today I am filled with immense pride. On behalf of council and our residents, we’re incredibly grateful to all our partners who assisted us during these challenging times, including our local and support firefighters, the RDOS, BC Wildfire Service, and volunteers who readily assisted our EOC in getting information out to everyone who cares about our community.”
Unless the situation changes dramatically, the 319 property owners in the Heritage Hills subdivision should be given the okay to return to other homes in the next day or two.
Vassilaki continued - taking advantage of the province-wide audience with details on the city he loves so much.
“Penticton is one of only two cities in the world that is situated between two lakes,” continued the mayor. “We have beautiful sandy beaches, and world-renowned biking and mountain climbing amenities. We also enjoy some of the hottest average temperatures in Canada, which along with the cooling effects of the mountains, provide the perfect combination for a thriving wine industry.
“During this past week, we saw how our residents and businesses were ready to support their neighbours and firefighters.”
Vassilaki may have felt compelled to address Penticton’s many positive qualities given he was asked if the city would push tourists out of their hotel rooms during Sunday’s media briefing.
“I wouldn’t want to be a heavy-handed mayor in this situation. I think tourists have the right to be here,” he responded. “I’ve lived here for 64 years and we’ve had other times where situations were bad, and we’ve never asked anybody to leave. This is a free country, and there is no other place for them to go that they can really come and have a holiday, and get out of their homes. And they have been locked up for the last two or three months.
“They're just as much influenced by what’s happening here as we are.”
And with that, John Vassilaki can return home, knowing he no longer needs to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.
It’s a feeling shared by many more Penticton residents.
