Could St. Albert join the list of Canadian cities publicly showing their support for the LGBTQ community through the painting of a rainbow crosswalk?
St. Albert's youth council threw their support behind that possibility last week during their monthly meeting.
The council agreed to support in principle the installation of a rainbow crosswalk in St. Albert, providing that the event be inclusive and cost-effective.
Youth council chair Ben Throndson said during the meeting he believes the motion to be a "statement of moral support to the LGBTQ community."
He said he was asked by St. Albert City Coun. Natalie Joly to broach the topic with his fellow youth councillors.
The youth council isn't making a recommendation to city council at this point, and Joly said she wants to touch base with them before making any decisions on whether to move forward, although she is personally supportive of the idea.
"I'm pretty open about my Pride colours, and if a crosswalk is something that really shows our support, and it's do-able, then by all means," she said.
She said the idea initially came to her from a community member, who asked her whether the city could have a crosswalk painted.
"It's always great to see a community member step up and show how they want to support different groups in the community," she said.
She pointed to a city response to an information request from former councillor Cam MacKay a year ago that laid out potential costs of a rainbow crosswalk.
That response includes a list of possible options for painting, ranging from $800 to $8,500 in cost, with varying life expectancies from a matter of months up to two years. Cost could also depend on what location the crosswalk would be installed at.
The response also notes the negative feedback the city received from a branding project in 2015 when a mural was painted on the street in front of St. Albert Place.
Joly said she suspects there might be some "raised eyebrows" at the prospect of another painted crosswalk, but rainbow crosswalks are well-established in Canada.
"We see it everywhere, as close as Edmonton and Banff, across the country. So it's a little bit different," she said.
"An original piece of art is different than guys painting coloured lines."
Joly said if city council does choose to support a rainbow crosswalk, she would want to see the city clearly communicate the cost difference between normal white or yellow crosswalks and one with colours.
