Mayor Bill Robertson has extended an official invitation to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to consider Okotoks their Canadian home.
Robertson brought forward a notice of motion, which council approved at its Feb. 10 meeting, to formally invite Harry and Meghan, and son Archie, to live in – or at least visit – Okotoks.
“If they take us up on it, fine; if they don’t, fine,” said Robertson. “We’re having a little bit of fun with it.”
He got the idea from a Jan. 21 Maclean's article by Scott Gilmore about the royals moving to B.C., which listed a few Canadian tourism and relocation slogans such as “Discover Ontario” and “Be part of the Energy” (Calgary). Gilmore then went on to write, “and my absolute favourite: ‘There are a number of things to do in Okotoks.’
As a self-proclaimed monarchist, Robertson thought it would be fun to write a letter inviting the couple to move to town with their young son.
“It just kind of dawned on me,” he said. “We like to think we’ve created a desirable community here, and I think we have. We have our problems and so on, but it’s a good place to live, it really is.”
With the help of Town staff he composed a light-hearted notice of motion listing the reasons why the invitation should be extended, including the local landscapes, on-demand transit, a large population of British ex-pats and variety of English delicacies, sports teams like Dawgs baseball and Okotoks Oilers hockey, and community events.
Coun. Ed Sands added there are regional royal amenities such as EP Ranch, which was purchased by the Prince of Wales decades ago and bears his name (Edward Prince).
He said Okotoks is also accustomed to celebrity and would welcome the royal family without overwhelming them, like in 1988 when the Soviet Olympic figure skating team stayed at the Duke of Willingdon Hotel (now the Royal Duke), and while Okotokians flocked to watch skating events they left the team alone at the hotel.
“We’re not overly fawning and stalking them to their detriment,” said Sands. “Some years ago, James Caan was working out at a local gymnasium in town. Nobody took a picture, he was just doing reps with the rest of us.
“I think we are very able to handle celebrity.”
Coun. Florence Christophers agreed, and said though the motion seemed amusing and light, it bears some value for the town as a whole.
In attempting to attract the Duke and Duchess, a spotlight is being thrown on Okotoks highlighting its attributes and reasons why it’s a great community to live in, she said.
“There is potential economic benefit from profiling us in this creative, friendly way,” said Christophers. “I feel that despite the fact it looks really light and maybe not normal council material, this is council, via the mayor, doing our part to put us out there in the world and let people know we’re here and we’re awesome and we’re open for business and open for families.”
Robertson said even if the couple don’t take him up on his offer to relocate to town, he would extend an invitation for them to visit. If the Town were to receive the bid for the 2022 Summer Games, it could be an opportunity for them to come to Alberta and open the event, he said.
Whether they take his invitation seriously, Robertson said he hopes to receive some kind of correspondence back.
“It would be nice to get a response out of it – even thanks but no thanks, that would be fine,” he said.
