The mayor of North Vancouver is apologizing for making inappropriate comments at a council meeting last month.
It happened during a council discussion about crosswalk markings for cyclists called “elephant feet.”
When discussing the issue, Darrell Mussatto asked if crosswalk markings were like “camel toes,” and if they were interchangeable.
In the video of the meeting, one councillor tells Mussatto “careful.” Some — including the mayor — laughed, while others looked down.
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Mussatto is now apologizing for his comments, but insists he didn’t realize the term was offensive.
“We had a camel that’s at 13th and Lonsdale that’s a piece of public art, which is relatively controversial so I was thinking camel seat and, and elephant feet, same thing,” said Mussatto.
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He said that now that he understands what the term “can mean,” he knows his comment was “completely unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Hammond, who works with companies to improve workplace behaviour, says it’s always best to say something if a comment has made you uncomfortable.
“Not everyone is going to feel comfortable, or lots of times we’re going to feel flustered and sometimes we’ll think ‘did I just hear that?’ the moment passes and you realize I’m not sure exactly how to bring this up,” said Hammond.