91原创 Township council has approved another rainbow crosswalk, with the understanding that it won鈥檛 cost the municipality any money.

It has been in the works since May of last year, when the 91原创 Board of Education voted to work with the RCMP detachment and the Township to create a rainbow crosswalk adjacent to RCMP headquarters and the school board offices, located next to the existing crosswalk at 222 Street.

In November, the idea was endorsed by the joint Township and school district liaison committee.

During the debate on Monday, Sept. 21, Councillor Blair Whitmarsh argued the matter should be delayed until the Township could develop an 鈥渆quity and dignity framework鈥� that would establish general principles for handling such requests.

Whitemarsh said he had received emails both for and against the proposal, calling it 鈥渁 topic that is a challenging one for our community鈥� and a decision that should be deferred until a framework is in place.

He stressed that he supports inclusiveness, saying 鈥渨e need to be a community that treats all people with dignity and respect.鈥�

鈥淚 am certainly not saying no to a rainbow crosswalk,鈥� Whitmarsh told council.

A majority supported the crosswalk proceeding, with Coun. Bob Long saying he had been informed the school district wasn鈥檛 seeking funding, only approval.

Long suggested the idea should be passed with wording added to make it clear the crosswalk would be 鈥渁t no cost鈥� to the Township.

鈥淎ll we鈥檙e doing is giving approval to painting the road,鈥� Long commented.

鈥淭his is not a money issue. This is not something we have to defend to taxpayers.鈥�

Councillor Eric Woodward, who raised the issue in the first place called the crosswalk idea a 鈥渟mall gesture that would mean a lot,鈥� adding he thought the Township could, in fact, fund the crosswalk with money from its contingency fund.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty small amount of money,鈥� Woodward remarked.

Coun. Kim Richter called the proposed deferral a 鈥渟tall tactic.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we need to delay this crosswalk,鈥� Richter sad.

鈥淭he framework is there. It鈥檚 the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.鈥�

Councillor Steve Ferguson liked the framework proposal, but not if it meant delaying the crosswalk.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want this buried,鈥� Ferguson said.

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In the end, a majority of council voted to approve the crosswalk with additional language making it clear it would be at no cost to the Township, then referred the framework proposal to an upcoming council workshop next month on deciding priorities. Couns. David Davis, Margaret Kunst and Whitmarsh were opposed to the amended motion.

91原创 school board chair Megan Dykeman welcomed the decision.

鈥淭he 91原创 Board of Education is pleased to have support from the RCMP and the Township of 91原创 on this rainbow crosswalk project,鈥� Dykeman said.

鈥淎s a board and district, we are continuing to work together with our students, staff and community partners to foster an inclusive and accepting culture.鈥�

Dykeman said the board was ready to work with District staff to determine the next steps.

鈥淭his may include determining the viability of the project, cost, potential funding sources, timeline and other considerations.鈥�

Trustee David Tod, whose work on the school District鈥檚 LGBTQ+ Committee led to the proposal, said he was 鈥渆ncouraged鈥� by the decision.

鈥淔or all of us, the importance of seeing one鈥檚 self reflected and celebrated in society increases our sense of self-worth, societal belonging, and overall mental health,鈥� Tod said.

He noted rainbow crosswalks are being used in communities across B.C. as 鈥� a powerful message of inclusion.鈥�

鈥淎s a vibrant and diverse community, 91原创 has the opportunity to pair a highly visible symbol of inclusion with a commitment of greater understanding and acceptance. The rainbow crosswalk is just one of many initiatives and activities to help us keep moving in a direction to ensure all members of our community feel safe.鈥�

When a previous rainbow crosswalk was painted in Fort 91原创 in 2017, it created a stir, with the crossing vandalized shortly after it was installed.

READ ALSO: 91原创鈥檚 rainbow crosswalk causes a storm

dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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