City forgoes Pride & 7 Feathers crosswalks, over 50% of responses disagreed with idea

Cold Lake will not be designating a Pride sidewalk or 7 Feathers crosswalk after residents gave feedback to city council. 

Councillors chose to put out a survey to community members to gain feedback on whether to designate a crosswalk in this fashion and received 588 responses. 

Just over 50 per cent, 50.85 per cent, of respondents were not in favour of having either a Pride or 7 Feathers crosswalk in the community.  

“I think the staff deserve a lot of credit, they put out the survey and a lot of residents filled it out. A lot of residents said they weren’t ready for the two crosswalks – over 50 per cent,” Mayor Craig Copeland told Lakeland Connect. 

“So right now, council just said no. We’re gonna pause this decision and bring it back at another day. But there certainly was some in favour, but the majority of the community said no right now.” 

In January, the city’s corporate priorities committee discussed a request from Lakeland Safe Space Community for a Pride rainbow crosswalk in Cold Lake. A request for a similar crosswalk, an Indigenous ‘7 Feathers’ crosswalk teaching, was also anticipated. 

There was appetite by many to see these designated sidewalks. 

Just over 45 per cent of respondents were in favour of having either a Pride or 7 Feathers, with thirty-eight per cent of respondents in favour of both. 

At the March 21 corporate priorities meeting, council viewed the survey responses. 

“I think there’s a good opportunity to create some education around it to folks as to why we do these things. Or why we have these things in communities. But I’ll go where the will of council is,” said councillor Chris Vining during the discussion at corporate priorities. 

Twenty-three total respondents selected other – with some saying other infrastructure was of higher priority, conditional support if other groups would be allowed to have themed sidewalks, concerns of vandalism, and a concern of taxpayer dollars being used. 

After discussion, a motion was made to defer a decision indefinitely, with four votes for: Copeland, Richardson, Parker, and Mattice in favour, and Vining and Bailey opposed. 

The motion was taken to the Tuesday, March 28 regular city council meeting and was carried unanimously. 

City council has supported Pride activities in the past, including raising a Pride flag in June.