A rainbow crosswalk was painted at the intersection of Simcoe Street and Ste. Marie Street last night.
The idea first came to council in June 2020, but the pitch was to put the rainbow crosswalk on Hurontario Street somewhere. Staff deemed a Hurontario Street location not feasible because of the interlocking pavers and high traffic.
On June 1, council approved a new design meant to be more inclusive to more communities.
The new design was created in 2018 by queer designer and activist Daniel Quasar, with an emphasis on inclusion and progression. It includes elements of the original six-colour flag, plus adds brown for marginalized people of colour, black for those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them, light blue, light pink and white to incorporate the Transgender Pride Flag and an arrow pointing to the right to represent forward movement.
The crosswalk is painted in thermoplastic paint and cost $15,000 to install. The Rainbow Club of South Georgian Bay paid half the cost with donations collected in a recent fundraising campaign.
- With files from Jessica Owen
