On the same day that Chip Wilson erected a controversial sign at his Vancouver mansion, the city quietly paid tribute to the billionaire and his wife.

Officials proclaimed October 3 as Summer Day and Chip Wilson, shortly after the Lululemon co-founder’s start. display a political message in front of his waterfront home, calling British Columbia Premier David Eby’s NDP party “communist.”

“Eby will tell you that the Conservatives are ‘far right,’ but he forgets to say that the NDP is ‘communist,'” the sign reads.

On Friday, Wilson shared an Instagram post about the proclamation event, held in the Gastown neighborhood, writing, “This honor means a lot to us.”

Mayor Ken Sim and Councilor ABC. Brian Montague is in the photo, standing next to the couple. No other city councilors appear to be in the images.

“At the same time the media was reporting on that ridiculous billboard that Chip Wilson put up on Point Gray Road, the mayor was declaring Chip Wilson Day in the City of Vancouver,” said Councilor. Pete Fry.

The city never issued a press release or posted on social media about proclamation day, leading Fry to suggest officials could have been trying to avoid the “bad outlook.”

“I can totally understand why they wouldn’t want this made public,” Fry added. “That being said, I don’t think they should have done it in the first place.”

The councilor told CTV News he had heard rumors about the event, but never received an invitation to attend. Proclamations are typically shared with council members and included in their calendars, he said.

“We’ll do it a lot at City Hall, inside the chambers,” Fry added. “And none of that happened with this.”

Fry also questioned the timing of Wilson’s Instagram post, which came days after CTV News submitted a Freedom of Information request regarding the day of the billionaire’s proclamation.

“They were probably trying to get ahead of the story before it became a story by having Chip proactively publish it,” he said. “But I think it’s a little late and it seems a little suspicious.”

In a statement to CTV News, the mayor’s office said: “Summer and Chip Wilson are outstanding examples of how local entrepreneurs and philanthropists can shape an entire community, having an impact that extends beyond Vancouver . »

According to the release, the Wilsons were honored for their philanthropy, including their $1 million donation to Vancouver General Hospital, as well as other financial contributions, such as the $1.5 million they have spent to permanently secure the iconic A-maze-ing Laughter sculptures at English Bay. .

When asked why the proclamation was not made public, the mayor’s office responded that the vast majority of proclamations do not make it to Sim’s social media page.

“Last year, the mayor’s office issued more than 100 proclamations, and this year we are about to issue more than 150, but only a small faction was posted on Mayor Sim’s social media” , continues the press release.

When asked why the invitation was not extended to other city councilors, the mayor’s office called the event an “unofficial proclamation” and said there was “no formal policy » regarding invitations, those for off-site proclamations being extended to an “announcement”. on an ad hoc basis. »

Political scientist Stewart Perst noted that Wilson contributed financially to Sim’s 2022 election campaign and suggested that the mayor may be trying to avoid associating himself with the billionaire’s publicly partisan politics.

“The mayor seems to want to continue to have that relationship with Mr. Wilson, who, of course, is a major contractor in the city,” Prest said. “But at the same time, trying not to let people know, which is awkward to say the least.”

Generally speaking, when it comes to issues likely to provoke some degree of public backlash, Perst said ABC has been “less comfortable releasing information than it should.” be “.