Close X
Thursday, November 7, 2024
ADVT 
National

Rejected Rainbow Crosswalk In Merritt, B.C., Sparks Broader Community Support

The Canadian Press, 08 Mar, 2018 11:54 AM
    MERRITT, B.C. — A decision by city council to reject a proposed rainbow crosswalk near a school in Merritt, B.C., has led community members to offer other locations for the colourful symbol of inclusion, says a high school teacher involved in the project.
     
     
    Students in LGBTQ and Indigenous clubs at Merritt Secondary have been planning for years to have a crosswalk painted to promote inclusivity, but when the school district took the proposal to the city last week it was voted down by council.
     
     
    Teacher Kati Spencer said she and the students were disappointed and frustrated at first.
     
     
    "I had some righteous anger. Let's put it that way," she said. "We had so much support from the school board ... we took it for granted that it was going to happen."
     
     
    The school district offered to pay for the rainbow's installation and upkeep, and city staff recommended that council approve the proposal.
     
     
    Mayor Neil Menard told council he was concerned that approving the rainbow crosswalk would set a precedent for other groups such as the hockey team and Rotary Club to request sidewalks or crosswalks be painted to reflect their organizations.
     
     
    "I'm a bit worried that it may open a kind of a Pandora's box for something like this, so I don't support it. I can't support it," he said.
     
     
    Asked in an interview if the decision could be interpreted as rejecting inclusivity, Menard said: "It has nothing to do with their lifestyle."
     
     
    "That's their lifestyle and that's all well and good, but they don't have to take that ... and make it obvious within the community, and push it on everybody else," he said.
     
     
    "We're not exclusive of groups. It's a good city. We've got great citizens. We've got a lot of citizens that don't support that and didn't want any crosswalks to be painted. They think it's a distraction. They think it's dangerous for drivers." 
     
     
    While students may have lost the battle for the crosswalk, their efforts have gained wider support, Spencer said.
     
     
    "This is now bigger than we imagined," she said. "Coming out of this has actually been amazing, because it made all the support visible."
     
     
    A house across the street from the school has been adorned with rainbow curtains, a bakery offered to make rainbow cookies to take to city hall and a store began painting a rainbow outside the property, Spencer said.
     
     
    Lawyers Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko also offered parking lots they own in the city's downtown core for the students to paint.
     
     
    "The rainbow has taken on a bigger meaning than just support or gay pride — it's now we love you and accept you whoever you are," Lee said.
     
     
    Spencer said students were beaming when they saw Lee's offer posted on Twitter.
     
     
    They already had a contingency plan in place to paint a rainbow on school property if the city didn't approve the crosswalk.
     
     
    Spencer said they intend to make the installation of a rainbow walkway at the school a celebration. They're also going to discuss the parking lot option with the school board and look at collaborating with as many groups as possible.
     
     
    What's happened has also given the symbol of the rainbow deeper meaning, she said.
     
     
    "Kids in general, they're seeing the town rally behind this and that may help people who feel alienated for any reason feel that, hey, it is safe here."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Silence Is Deafening In Our Community: Tailored Response For South Asians Addicted To Opioids

    Silence Is Deafening In Our Community: Tailored Response For South Asians Addicted To Opioids
    A medical clinic in British Columbia and a social service agency in Alberta are set to expand their programs to meet the often-hidden and growing problem of South Asians battling addiction to opioids.

    Silence Is Deafening In Our Community: Tailored Response For South Asians Addicted To Opioids

    Man, Two Women, Found Dead In Car On Northern Alberta Access Road

    Man, Two Women, Found Dead In Car On Northern Alberta Access Road
    They say a security guard found a 29-year-old man and two women, ages 21 and 22, in a two-door car on a semi-remote access road near the hamlet of Conklin over the noon hour on Tuesday.

    Man, Two Women, Found Dead In Car On Northern Alberta Access Road

    Students Feel Safer With Police Presence In Certain Ontario High Schools: Study

    Students Feel Safer With Police Presence In Certain Ontario High Schools: Study
    MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — A new study suggests the practice of placing police officers in certain southern Ontario high schools made students feel safer while building good relationships with law enforcement.

    Students Feel Safer With Police Presence In Certain Ontario High Schools: Study

    Assault Was Videoed: Teen Pleads Guilty In Manitoba Woman's Fatal Beating

    Assault Was Videoed: Teen Pleads Guilty In Manitoba Woman's Fatal Beating
    WINNIPEG — A second teenage girl charged in the fatal beating of a young woman from an eastern Manitoba Indigenous community has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

    Assault Was Videoed: Teen Pleads Guilty In Manitoba Woman's Fatal Beating

    Newfoundland Woman Who Won $1.5M Lottery Jackpot While Fighting Cancer Has Died

    Newfoundland Woman Who Won $1.5M Lottery Jackpot While Fighting Cancer Has Died
    A Newfoundland woman who was suffering from an advanced form of cancer when she won a $1.5-million lottery jackpot in November has died.

    Newfoundland Woman Who Won $1.5M Lottery Jackpot While Fighting Cancer Has Died

    Woman Rescued From Toronto Construction Crane Last Year Gets Absolute Discharge

    Woman Rescued From Toronto Construction Crane Last Year Gets Absolute Discharge
    Marisa Lazo, 23, was stranded for hours after climbing a crane at a downtown construction site in the middle of the night in April.

    Woman Rescued From Toronto Construction Crane Last Year Gets Absolute Discharge