Flowers removed from slain Okanagan teen's memorial bench after 5 years
For the past 5 years Charrie Fitcher has been coming to a lakeside memorial bench in Peachland, B.C. to celebrate the life of her daughter Ashlee Hyatt.
Hyatt died at the age of 16 after she was stabbed during a fight outside a Peachland house party in 2010.
An 18-year-old woman was later convicted of manslaughter in the killing.
Since the memorial bench was installed, Fitcher and her family have been adorning it with plastic flowers, attaching them with plastic zap-straps.
"We celebrate her life at the bench," Fitcher said.
"It's just a place to gather for friends and family where you can come and remember everything wonderful about Ashlee."
Policy against flowers on memorial benches
This spring staff members of the District of Peachland started removing the flowers, after a complaint.
Fitcher learned the district has a policy against people leaving flowers and other items on memorial benches.
"They said they had a complaint, because it was sad," Fitcher said.
"The whole point of the flowers was to make it a happy place where you could sit and not feel sad. I was very confused on the whole thing after 5 years why this would all of a sudden be an issue with policy."
This week Peachland's mayor and council will review the bylaws around memorial benches and other donated items.
Fitcher is hoping councilors will make an amendment in the bylaw to allow flowers on benches.
Taking down flowers was 'absolutely wrong'
She has an important player on her side -- Mayor of Peachland Cindy Fortin.
Fortin was shocked to learn the flowers had been removed from Ashlee's bench.
"Sometimes I think we get too bogged down in policy as a society and we forget the human component," said Fortin.
"Taking down these flowers, especially without letting Charrie know about it, was just absolutely wrong and heartbreaking and I really feel for her."
Today Fortin will recommend the bylaw be changed to allow families to leave flowers on the benches.
"Sometimes we have to dig really deep and see what is most important to us and what is not and in this case leaving a few flowers on (a bench) is just fine," Fortin said.
