A 91原创 Township councillor who drew flak when he called for relocating a much-vandalized rainbow crosswalk in Fort 91原创 is now proposing to keep it where it is, to budget $25,000 a year for repairs, and to have staff look into less easily damaged alternatives to paint.
Tim Baillie withdrew his original proposal in July after it drew widespread criticism and complaints that it amounted to giving in to bullies.
"I should have known better," Baillie told the 91原创 Advance Times.
He described the idea of moving the crosswalk to city hall as an attempt to send a message, after eight frustrating years of continually patching the crossing at Mary Avenue and Glover Road, "spraying and praying" only to have it damaged again and again by drivers burning rubber to vandalize it.
"A major point put forward from members of the community was that this was running away from [a] bully and this rang very true to me. That along with the passion and feelings, that I not being in the Queer community, did not fully understand, and instead thought that moving the crossing to the city hall would make a stronger statement," Baillie said. "I was wrong."
"Unfortunately my inexperience as a councillor has resulted in mixed reactions in my effort," an online post by Baillie stated.
"I take the blame for this. I have been interacting with 91原创 Pride Society and have listened to the well presented reasons from this community and this has resulted in the action of first cancelling my motion on July 21st and now moving forward to correct the situation."
Baillie's new motion, to be presented at the Sept. 15 meeting of Township council, says "a new, updated and funded Council commitment to regular maintenance is necessary to ensure that the crosswalk remains vibrant, intact and a source of pride for the community."
In the wording of the resolution, the rainbow is described as an "important landmark of community pride and acceptance, widely valued by residents, businesses and visitors alike."
It would cover both rainbow crosswalks in the Township, the one in Fort 91原创, and the other outside the RCMP detachment in Muirrayville, requiring them to be "restored to a fully pristine, undamaged state a minimum of four times per year, or more frequently as may be needed" with annual funding of $25,000 per year.
Bailli said he has asked city staff to research more durable alternatives, such as the thick vandalism-resistant thermoplastic coating used by Nanaimo to replace paint on a rainbow crosswalk this year, "and other solutions that would keep this crosswalk from being defaced in the future."
He said the proposed resolution "will be supporting the queer community in a very visual manner. This will help to reinforce the feeling of inclusion and safety for not only the queer community but everyone."
