Rainbow crosswalk in Nova Scotia removed, but promises to return

The town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia is about to get a little bit less colourful. That’s because a crosswalk painted in the theme of a rainbow symbolizing the community’s embrace of diversity at Main Street and Linden Avenue goes against Canada’s national crosswalk standards, according to a letter from Nova Scotia’s Provincial Traffic Authority.

Wolfville Mayor Jeff Cantwell was originally approached by Acadia University’s equity officer Meg Townsend about the idea of installing the crosswalk after Townsend spotted a similar crosswalk on a trip to British Columbia a few years ago and thought it would be a great way to brighten the community and promote diversity.

Ironically enough back in August, Nancy Enns of Kelowna, British Columbia stated that she would go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to have a rainbow coloured crosswalk removed in her area at Pandosy Street and Lawrence Avenue because painting a rainbow coloured crosswalk was discriminatory against other lifestyles (particularly because the rainbow pattern is synonymous with the colours of the flag that represents the LBGTQ community around the world). Obviously not everybody supports complete inclusivity.

Mayor Cantwell however, wants everyone to know that the temporary removal of the rainbow crosswalk in Woldville is strictly due to safety concerns and not complaints from the public related to social issues or personal beliefs.

“We were met with some resistance but only because some people didn’t like the colours,” he told Yahoo Canada.

“We didn’t put the customary white bumpers and markings at the ends of the crosswalk, we just painted the actual rainbow colours. Because it’s a common crossing area, a very small handful of people raised a concern because they thought it might be a safety issue.”

Both Cantwell and the Mayor of Kelowna, Colin Basran agree that rainbow coloured crosswalks aren’t strictly intended to represent the LBGTQ community, but rather all people from all walks of life who help make their local communities what it is.

Basran strongly disagrees with Enns’ point of view and emphasizes that people who have a problem with the rainbow-themed crosswalks are definitely in the minority. “

“It isn’t about one particular community,” he told Yahoo Canada.

“This is about all communities. To that regard, that includes everyone in our city. And therefore I don’t have any issue with it being on public property because we’re talking about being open and accepting of all people.”

Basran said nobody in Kelowna has raised any safety concerns. The Kelowna crosswalk has white borders that ostensibly make it comply with national standards.

While these rainbow-coloured crosswalks have garnered their share of attention in smaller cities on both sides of Canada and in between, it’s not like the idea is new. These crosswalks can be found in major cities like Philadelphia and Seattle too. Crosswalks have also been painted on our home and native lands to celebrate Canada’s birthday over in Westville, Nova Scotia before.

As for the rainbow crosswalk in Wolfville, Mayor Cantwell says he and his counsellors will be exploring different kinds of paint, putting white markings in between the rainbow pattern, or perhaps switching up to design completely and making the crosswalk a yellow brick road. Either way, Cantwell wants a crosswalk in Wolfville that lets both visitors and residents know that his city is a place where all are welcome.