Pedestrians crossing Columbia Street now have a rainbow connection.
City crews installed a rainbow-coloured panel in front of Heritage Grill on Sunday night when traffic was light, prompting passersby to post before-and-after photos on social media. It’s one of many initiatives the city is rolling out to celebrate New West Pride Week and the LGBTQ community.
“We recognize that we are such a diverse community and we’re becoming more and more diverse,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote. “I think it’s important for the city to really celebrate that diversity because I think that’s what makes New Westminster such a great place to live.”
The idea of a rainbow crosswalk came up during a recent council meeting, Cote added, when members discussed ways to recognize Pride and its significant growth over the last six years. With Vancouver and Victoria already having something similar in place, the decision was an easy one, he noted.
“New Westminster is an incredibly inclusive community. We do a lot to really deal with marginalized individuals. That’s the type of city we want to be and be known for,” said Cote.
Asked about the crosswalk’s location, Cote said it was chosen because it’s seen as the “heart and centre” of the Pride festival and because of its busy foot traffic.
Jeremy Perry, president of the New West Pride Society, had heard rumours a couple weeks ago that something was in the works, but didn’t find out until the day of the installation.
“It’s incredible to live in a community that has this much support for the Pride movement and seeing them want to have such a visual piece in the city, to say that they promote inclusivity and diversity, is just a great thing to be part of,” Perry told the Record.
The crosswalk, located in the business district at Church and Columbia Street, is a permanent installation and will be maintained for wear and tear as time goes on, Cote said.
Other city initiatives celebrating Pride week (Aug. 8 to Aug. 15) include raising a rainbow flag at city hall on Aug. 10 and having the Anvil Centre shine in rainbow lights during the week-long festivities.
