Update: Rainbow crosswalk restored

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The rainbow crosswalk was installed in 2017 and cost the district $11,100.

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Update:

The District of Coldstream is looking over its options after vandalism to the rainbow crosswalk on Kalamalka Road near Kal Beach.

Vernon Matters received the following comment from Trevor Seibel, Chief Administrative Officer for the District, when asked what action the municipality could take at the site:

“We are gathering information this morning and will be speaking with the RCMP, our insurer and our line painting contractor to determine the best and quickest course of action,” said Seibel.

Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick issued the following statement to Vernon Matters:

“It saddens me to see that there are still individuals in our midst that are so insecure and threatened by this gesture of inclusion that they feel the need to sneak out to vandalize and deface it,” said Garlick.

The mayor said Coldstream staff will be contacting the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C. to put in a claim to repair the damage.

“I encourage any witnesses to this act to contact the RCMP with any information they can to provide,” added Garlick.

Original story

A LGBTQ2+ advocate is speaking out after learning that the rainbow crosswalk at Kal Beach in Coldstream was vandalized over the weekend.

Dawn Tucker has spent over 15 years working as an LGBTQ2+ educator in Vernon.

She said while the incident is heartbreaking it is not indicative of the entire region.

“I hope people show that this is not who we are. I hope this is representative of an individual group of individuals that did this and I hope that they are caught. I hope that they turn themselves in and take responsibility for these actions,” Tucker said.

She hopes this incident will make the community grow stronger and noted education after an event like the one in Coldstream is key to remind everyone about the importance of inclusivity and acceptance.

“We can co-exist in a peaceful and loving way without judgment and without hate, and I think that’s the message of the rainbow crosswalk. That’s the education that we can bring to one another that we can have a welcoming and diverse community.”

Click below to listen to the full interview with Dawn Tucker

She stressed while the region is generally very accepting, barriers still exist for the LGBTQ2+ community.

“We had the gay prom, but one of the things that was disappointing is that in the news releases, the students that were participating did not want to give their names. When we still have children who are afraid to put their names and their faces out then we still have issues in our community around acceptance,”

Vernon Matters has reached out to the RCMP and the District of Coldstream for comment.