The rainbow-painted crosswalk in Calgary’s downtown will not receive any funds from the city and is relying on private donations to cover the full costs for 2016 Pride.
Coun. Sean Chu has been the driving force behind the rainbow project. Since Calgary Pride says it cannot solely cover the cost, Chu and his staff are urging Calgarians to donate to the cause.
“I’m very optimistic we’ll raise enough money in time because personally I’m going to donate, as well,” Chu said.
“I’m very strongly against Calgary taxpayers paying for this.”
Although one Calgary pavement company has offered to pay for the rainbow-painted intersection, Chu says due to legal reasons, they cannot accept the large donation at this time.
Some other companies that have already donated to the project include various drinking establishments in the Beltline, according to Chu.
The cost of the painted project is set to be around the same price as last year: $4,000. Donations are being accepted on Calgary Pride’s website from both organizations and individuals. There is also a GoFundMe set up by Calgary Pride to raise the money for the painted crosswalk.
“We were in a position where we needed to look at what the best impact would be, dollar for dollar, and we felt that investing in education and outreach through our new Symposium was the better use of funds than a temporary crosswalk this year,” wrote Craig Sklenar, director of government affairs with Calgary Pride, in an emailed statement.
The Symposium event will take place in late 2016 or early 2017 and will feature keynote presentations and panelists focused on the future of the LGBTQ community.
Chu originally pitched the idea of the temporarily painted crosswalk after receiving scrutiny for a tweet some found homophobic.
Calgary Pride supported the idea and partially funded it. The rest of the funds came from Chu himself, along with private donations. No taxpayer dollars were spent on the project last year.
Calgary Pride will begin consultations this fall with community members, local stakeholders, and Coun. Evan Woolley regarding a “more permanent representation of Pride in the city of Calgary.”
READ MORE: ‘Maybe it can be permanent’ – Calgary Pride rainbow crosswalk goes up at City Hall
Chu says the more permanent representation, if it is a rainbow painted sidewalk, needs to find a better location with “less wear and tear.”
“If it doesn’t look good, it defeats the purpose,” he said.
For the first time, the City of Red Deer has also put in a rainbow crosswalk for Central Alberta Pride week. The city paid an estimated $800 for the crosswalk paint and then another $60 for touch-ups. For Calgary, there was no open bidding process for private companies vying to do the work for the painted crosswalk. It’s done internally by the city instead.
Pride week kicks off in Calgary on Aug. 26 and will run until Sept. 4.
The location of the rainbow painted crosswalk, if funds are raised, is set to be on Centre Street and 9 Avenue, right in front of the Calgary Tower.
The 26th Annual Calgary Pride celebrations are not fully dependent on private donations thanks to an amendment Coun. Brian Pincott made last year when city council originally voted on the painted crosswalk for the first time. This means the city could send additional funding to Pride organizers if they request it and it gets approved. Pride organizers had not made such a request as of Aug. 11.
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