A new symbol of peace is coming to the North Peace this week, as the Rotary Club of Fort St. John prepares to dedicate a Peace Pole at the Ross H. MacLean Rotary R.V. Park.
The dedication is set for Friday at the park in Charlie Lake.
The pole will carry the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” a phrase recognized around the world through the Peace Pole movement, which began in Japan in the 1950s.
The Rotary Club says the location was chosen with purpose. The park sits along an international travel corridor and welcomes people moving between communities and across borders.
Patricia Budgell, president of the Rotary Club of Fort St. John, said the pole is meant to serve as a reminder that borders may separate communities geographically, but people share a common humanity.
“Peace does not stop at a border, and neither does our responsibility to one another,” said Budgell.
The dedication also falls on Sept. 11, a date associated with painful memories of violence and loss around the world.
Budgell said the club hopes the occasion can instead reinforce the importance of choosing peace and understanding.
“We are not here to dwell on that tragedy, but we can acknowledge what this date represents and allow it to strengthen our commitment to something different,” she said. “Peace cannot be taken for granted. It is something we must continually choose, practice and work toward.”
The Peace Pole will also reflect the diversity of the North Peace, with English, Ukrainian and Russian represented on it.
The Rotary Club says those languages are intended to recognize the families, cultures and communities that make up the region and the wider world.
“Languages belong to human beings, not to regimes,” said Budgell.
“They belong to families, cultures and communities. This Peace Pole is ultimately not about any one language, country or conflict. It is about all of us.”
Rather than suggesting peace has already been achieved, the club says the pole is intended as a reminder that peace takes ongoing effort — including how people speak and listen to one another, welcome others and respond to differences.
“The Peace Pole doesn’t suggest that peace has already been achieved,” said Budgell.
“It is a reminder that peace is something we have to continually choose, practice and work toward.”
Community members are invited to attend the dedication Friday and recognize the message behind the new landmark.
