Burnaby councillor calls for more rainbow crosswalks
Posted May 16, 2019 10:56 am.
Last Updated May 16, 2019 11:00 am.
BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – To promote inclusivity and acceptance, Burnaby needs more rainbow crosswalks, one city councillor says.
City Councillor Dan Johnston has brought forward a motion to create the sidewalks in popular areas of Burnaby.
“Things like this need to be done so that our community becomes more inclusive,” he says. “As we become more multicultural, more ethnically diverse, [it’s] something to bring us together rather than separate us.”
One rainbow crosswalk already exists near Metrotown, but Johnston is asking for four more to be painted in the town centres of the city. He says when it comes to the LGBTQ community, the city needs to promote acceptance.
“I don’t think we’ve done a great job in the past on that area. I think that we can always do better and I think that they’re a noticeable component in our community and they should be recognized for that.”
The Metrotown crosswalk, at Jubilee Avenue, was vandalized with Nazi symbols last year, the day before Burnaby’s first pride celebration.
There are also some concerns about the cost, with the price tag ranging from $8,000 to $13,000 per crosswalk.
Johnston says instead of passing that cost on to the taxpayer, the city could pay for it another way.
“What I’ve asked is that [the] city’s finance committee look at using casino money,” he says. “Crosswalks are transportation, they’re safety, and it would come under casino funds.”
Burnaby council will be voting on the motion next week.
