By Tyler Marr

P.A. to have first rainbow crosswalk for Pride month

May 29, 2018 | 12:00 PM

Members of the Carlton Comprehensive Public High School Queers & Allies (Q&A) Club will pick up their paintbrushes in June to lay down the city’s first Pride crosswalk.

The rainbow art will reside in the crosswalk on Sixth Ave E between the high school and Carlton Court Plaza. The Q&A Club will pay for the supplies, while the city will cover the staff time needed for traffic control.

Though the request passed with flying colours at city council Monday night, Mayor Greg Dionne took issue with the location and tweaking of national crosswalk safety standards. Dionne said he spoke with safety instructors who told him the bright colours will distract drivers and cause unnecessary concerns for those crossing the road.

“If you want to do art, do what we did before, where we put it ahead or behind the crosswalk,” he said. “I don’t want people looking down, ‘Oh, this is wonderful — ah, boom.’ … I really want our students to get to school safe.”

He criticized administration for not running the request by Public Works. However, the public agenda and Keri Sapsford, the traffic and transportation manager, who works in the department, confirmed she was consulted on the request. 

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She supported the request, according to a report, and suggested specific parameters be met. This included painting the coloured bars between the white bars currently on the road as not to interfere with the crosswalk.

The Arts and Cultural Coordinator, Judy MacLeod Campbell, who was the point person on the ask, also contacted the Public Art Working Group, which includes Craig Guidinger, the city’s director of planning and development.

Asked on this, Dionne said he was not aware Sapsford was consulted and even if she did weigh in on the report, “she is not the department head.”

“The head would have brought it forward,” he said.

Other councillors did not see eye to eye with the mayor, saying while safety is of highest priority, painting the project will impart a separate form of safety for the LGBTQ+ community.

“You are talking about safety, and the group that wants to do this, they want to feel safe in this community as well….I don’t buy the argument they are going to be attracted to some paint on the roadway,” Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick said. “This sends a signal to residents of this community that we are an inclusive community and children that identify themselves as [LGBTQ+] this is going to give them acceptance.”

Ward 3 Coun. Evert Botha was of a similar mindset. He said dozens of communities in Saskatchewan, across Canada and the world paint rainbows on their crosswalks with little to no concern. He also made note of the overhead light at the crossing.

Rebuking Dionne’s claim, Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards, admitting he was initially swayed by Dionne’s argument, did some quick Googling and found the city of Yorkton actually added the colours yellow and blue to their crosswalks to increase the safety of the crossing for both cars and walkers.

Adrienne Schenk, an educator at Carlton and the supervisor of the Q&A Club said she understood the mayor’s concerns but was of the understanding she took all the necessary precautions.

“Obviously, our student safety is the utmost importance,” she said adding she agrees this offers a different form of safety for the LGBTQ+ community. 

She did admit the project came about on short notice and said the city gave her advice in the future on how to apply for grants and simplify the process. At the end of the day, she said she was “excited to see something like this happen and proud of the support.”

Sky Maurice is a Grade 10 student at the high school and said the crosswalk will signify great importance and progress.

“I hope it brings more positivity and openness about in the community,” they said.

Asked after the meeting his thoughts on the result, Dionne said he hopes “for that month people look at who is in the crosswalk and not how it is painted.”

“I would support it if it was anywhere else than the crosswalk,” he added.

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr