Mayor Cathy Heron (Gazette, May 12) needs to distinguish between fundraising for necessities versus fundraising for like-to-haves. I don't mind fundraising for sports facilities, park benches, etc. But we need to draw the line at some point when we start talking about fundraising for necessities or basic infrastructure like crosswalks, roads, etc.
While I acknowledge the intent of fundraising for a rainbow crosswalk is noble, I do not feel this has been well thought out. If we allow one social justice cause to use our roads for promoting an idea, then what is stopping others from doing the same? For that matter, what is stopping businesses from also wanting access to crosswalk fundraising? Imagine our community's churches have crosswalks depicting the stairway to heaven across from them. Cross a road to McDonald's via the golden arch crosswalk. If we got a BMW dealership, we could have the Autobahn for a crosswalk.
I want to ensure everyone that this is not an overreaction as Domino's Pizza is currently "paving for pizza" in American cities, fixing one pothole at a time with a logo on the road left behind.
We have a beautiful and welcoming city that we should all be proud to call home. If you want to fund-raise for a rainbow path in the botanic garden, a rainbow parking lot at the grain elevators or the ball diamonds on Sturgeon Road or anywhere along the 85-km Red Willow trail system, then I have no objections. But our roads, sidewalks, crosswalks and basic infrastructure should be kept free from social activism and corporate influence.
Tyler Smith, St. Albert
