THUNDER BAY - Adding some colour to city intersections is about more than putting paint on asphalt, it’s about creating an inclusive community, and Thunder Bay city council agrees.
“This is a huge opportunity for our city,” said Jason Veltri, president of Thunder Pride Association, before city council Monday night.
“It’s a huge opportunity for our community of the LGBTIQ2S+. It may just be paint on a road, but to us that is a symbol that this city stands behind that they talk about. This is where we feel safe. I don’t use that lightly. Where we feel welcomed and included in our community.”
Thunder Bay city council voted unanimously in favour of allocating up to $28,000 in the upcoming 2020 budget to add rainbow crosswalks on two city streets.
The motion brought forward by Northwood Coun. Shelby Ch’ng to support the project developed by Thunder Pride received support from all on council.
“The decision tonight is one of celebration and commemoration,” Ch’ng said. “If we want our community to be vibrant and inclusive we need to invest into that vibrancy and inclusivity.”
The rainbow crosswalks will be painted at the Bay and Algoma Street intersection as well as at Donald Street and May.
The paint will represent the colours of the Pride Flag and the Transgender Flag. The colours will be applied to the road using a thermoplastic, which has been used on bike lanes on Vickers Street and Court Street.
The paint has a five-year lifespan and can withstand road salt and cold winters and is safe for pedestrians to walk over.
Veltri said Thunder Pride is committed to providing 50 per cent of the total costs of the project.
“It is our belief that organizations like ours that have the capacity to provide funds for projects do so,” he said. “I also feel we are setting a precedent. I believe this is a shared partnership between the city and our organization.”
The money contributed by Thunder Pride will be obtained through fundraising efforts and Veltri said people in the community have already stepped up and are willing to contribute.
“That is our commitment,” he said. “We don’t feel that $15,000 or less is unattainable.”
During discussion on the motion, Veltri, along with several members of city council, expressed concerns regarding comments in the community and on social media with respect to the project.
“The comments that have been made this week have been quite disturbing and the hate that is still out there,” Veltri said. “It’s why Pride still matters. It’s why we are still fighting to be included in cities across the country. I think having that symbol on that roadway will move us further than how long it’s taken us to get here.”
Coun. Andrew Foulds agreed that discrimination still exists in the city of Thunder Bay and this project is a way to showing that it will not be tolerated.
“What I find shameful in 2019 is discrimination and homophobic slurs are still acceptable,” he said. “You hear it in locker rooms and parties and people laugh. It’s not funny when you exclude people. We can do something for relatively few dollars to say no more, no more laughing. We are talking about human beings.”
Coun. Rebecca Johnson commended Thunder Pride for bringing the project before city council and being a willing partner in making it happen.
“This is creative and new and looking at the respect of all people,” she said. “I hope we if we pass this this evening, I think this is an opportunity for our community to look at really unique and different things.”
City administration will look at allocating the funds for the project in the upcoming city budget to be presented to council later this year.
