Dalvir Nahal's family gathered around the plaque in honour of the late-councillor at the unveiling ceremony Monday, June 12. (Liam Verster / Vernon Matters Staff)

By Liam Verster

Honouring Dalvir Nahal

Former Vernon councillor honoured with plaque at City Hall

Jun 12, 2023 | 1:33 PM

A memorial plaque for Dalvir Nahal was unveiled outside Vernon City Hall Monday, June 12.

The bronze plaque, mounted on the large rock in Spirt Square, commemorates the former councillor and includes a quote by Pericles that reads “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments but what is woven into the lives of others.”

The plaque in honour of Dalvir Nahal was unveiled on the rock outside Vernon City Hall Monday, June 12. (Liam Verster / Vernon Matters Staff)

Nahal was first elected to Vernon council in 2014 and served until her death at the age of 45 on September 5, 2021, after a battle with cancer.

The plaque was unveiled at a ceremony that saw approximately 80 people attend.

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Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu, Councillors Kari Gares, Akbal Mund, Brian Quiring and Teresa Durning, as well as Nahal’s mother B.K. and her brother Ranvir, all spoke at the event.

All the speeches touched on Nahal’s goals of bettering the community and advocating for people, her drive and passion in the work she did both in the council chambers and in the community, including organizing the Bollywood Bang, a celebration of Indian culture.

Speaking with Vernon Matters following the ceremony, Ranvir Nahal said it was amazing to see Dalvir’s work appreciated by the community.

“Her life’s work was for the community, so I think it’s an amazing honour to be here at city hall,” Ranvir said.

“We grew up in this community so to have walked up and down these streets for the last 44 years and now know that she is part of the overall fabric of this society with everything she’s done is a pretty amazing feeling.”

He also noted the gathering outside city hall and hearing all the speeches was inspiring, especially because Nahal passed when COVID-19 restrictions were in place and there hasn’t been a lot of opportunities for people to gather and share stories or get their closure.

“It continues to be inspiring how we’ve taken the grief of losing our father and our sister in the last few years and trying to find a way to turn it into something positive the best we can,” Ravir told Vernon Matters.