"Truly, it's an honor to be out here supporting science and the front-line workers,” said David Crawford, a Kelowna resident.

The issue came to public attention locally after a Knights Templar flag was spotted at a Kelowna anti-mask rally in late November.

According to police, officers notified the organizers beforehand that if they went through with the rally, they would be in breach of the Reopening Ontario Act.

“There is no reason for this,” said Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran.

The main messages were “Lest we forget our veterans sacrificed their lives fighting to preserve a free world for us. Now we have surrendered those freedoms.”

With St. Thomas the next southwestern Ontario community on the list for a protest against coronavirus-related restrictions, some businesses are planning to close down in response.

Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine ads have popped up on some West Kelowna billboards.

The graffiti appeared a day after the provincial health officer announced a limit on gatherings in private homes to no more than your immediate household plus your "safe six."