A Kamloops city councillor is hoping to spread the message that the Tournament Capital is a safe and welcoming place for out of province visitors.

Mike O’Reilly says over the past month, he has left 100 business cards with a hand-written note on vehicles with out-of-town plates across the city.

“Thirty days ago somebody with an out of province licence plate had their window broken and thought maybe it was because they had an out of province licence plate. I put myself in their shoes and it made me feel uncomfortable,” he told NL News.

“Nobody should feel unsafe or uncomfortable and so I thought it was important to try and change the narrative that Kamloops is a safe place to come.”

O’Reilly is hoping that people will be considerate both during this Labour Day long weekend and into the future.

“It’s just a small gesture. I very easily could have just printed something off of my computer and photocopied it, but having a hand-written note goes a long way,” O’Reilly added. “I liken it to you know, you get an email from a friend versus you get a letter that shows up from a friend, handwritten. They have two very different meanings and different feelings.”

O’Reilly says people have reached out and thanked him for his note, adding that some people have told him they’re now looking forward to coming back to Kamloops in the future.

“It’s making a positive experience so that people feel comfortable coming back to Kamloops and British Columbia again, again and again,” he added. “Hopefully, they can tell their friends and the word spreads. That’s how we try and build up our tourism economy.”

30 days ago someone with an Alberta license plate had their window broken in #kamloops. Today I dropped off my 100th business card on a car windshield with out of province plates. This long weekend be kind. #kooltoobekind #ChangeTheNarrative pic.twitter.com/ehn7ndRUu5

— Mike O’Reilly (@mikeoreilly2018) September 4, 2020