Elaine Brewer-White has the paint and she has the volunteers to create a rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of Mavis Avenue and Glover Road, for Langley Township to celebrate diversity and inclusiveness.
All the local artist needs now is permission from the municipality and some traffic barriers.
Brewer-White said the June 12 massacre of 49 people inside a gay nightclub by a lone gunman in Orlando, Fla. motivated her to act.
“I have LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) family” Brewer-White told the Times.
“It was a need to do something rather than feel sorry for the situation.”
Brewer-White said the crosswalk is also a response to the recent rash of race-related shootings in the U.S.
“It’s (the crosswalk) about inclusion and diversity and of course it includes the LGBT community and celebrating everyone, but its not just for that purpose.”
Brewer-White received a positive reaction when she presented the idea to Township council Monday night.
Coun. Kim Richter called it “a wonderful suggestion” and Coun. Angie Quaale said it was “a really cool idea.”
The proposal has been referred to Township staff for a report.
Brewer-White said the Benjamin Moore company has agreed to donate the paint to create a multi-coloured crosswalk.
The Mavis and Glover intersection was chosen because of its visibility, she said.
The first rainbow crosswalk in Canada (above) is believed to have been painted in 2013 on Vancouver’s Davie Street.
Since then, they have appeared in cities across Canada.
Last month, Maple Ridge announced it would be installing a permanent rainbow crosswalk to show solidarity with the Orlando victims.
