Image Credit: Mel Rothenburger

By Mel Rothenburger

Armchair Mayor

ROTHENBURGER: As the winter muck recedes, the rainbow crosswalk emerges

Feb 19, 2020 | 5:45 AM

AN INTERESTING SIGHT is emerging from the winter snow between the Kamloops Museum and St. Andrew’s on the Square.

It still has a coat of dirt from the past few months of weather, but soon the rainbow crosswalk with shine again. What was, only last year, the subject of controversy, will be just another easily recognizable landmark in the downtown core.

When the proposal for the crosswalk was being debated last summer, there were concerns about location and about the cost, which was first estimated at around $10,000 but came in at $6,000.

And, of course, there were those who didn’t like the idea at all. Give Kamloops Pride a crosswalk and the first thing you know, everybody will want one, they said.

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Coun. Dieter Dudy even worried about lawsuits if the City turned down anyone else’s request, though he supported the idea of rainbow crosswalks.

He pointed to an earlier controversy over flying flags in front of City Hall, and one before that over who should be allowed to raise banners across City streets.

Fellow councillor Bill Sarai raised concerns about church groups possibly wanting crosswalks.

But none of that has happened. City Hall has not been besieged with demands that crosswalks be painted for other groups.

Neither has the new crosswalk been vandalized the way so many other rainbow crosswalks have been in other communities. Maybe it’s because this one is subtle — a simple series of stripes separated from each other by patches of asphalt. Or because it’s harder to vandalize in the winter.

Or, maybe Kamloops is more inclusive and capable of common sense than it sometimes gives itself credit for.

The fact the City now has five rainbow crosswalks, some on private property, suggests the latter.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He writes five commentaries a week for CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.