Effort to vandalize rainbow crosswalk foiled in Central Saanich, B.C.

Efforts by one individual to paint over a rainbow crosswalk in Central Saanich, B.C. were foiled Monday night by a bystander who called 911 and the police officers who attended.

According to the Central Saanich Police Department, the suspect fled when officers arrived at the crosswalk by Wallace Drive and Bayside Middle School around 11 p.m.

It was too dark to determine whether the suspect was a man or woman, but they left behind their paint can, police told Global News. A few splashes of white paint could be seen on the crosswalk Tuesday, but the majority of the colourful artwork was undamaged.

The force tweeted photos of the abandoned paint can on Tuesday, hoping someone could help trace it to the person who bought it. Police are also seeking dashcam footage from the area.

Central Saanich police were unavailable for an on-camera interview Tuesday, but said it’s the second time the same crosswalk has been targeted. Cleanup work was already underway or completed, police added.

Defacing Pride symbols, including flags and crosswalks, has been an increasingly common method of attacking the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in B.C.

Slurs were recently painted onto a rainbow crosswalk in Richmond four times in one week. In June, a rainbow crosswalk outside  Saanich’s G.R. Pearkes Recreation Centre was blocked out with black paint and someone tried to burn a Pride flag hanging at a community services office in Hope.

The Pride flag of a Ladner church was also defaced for a fourth time in May.

According to Statistics Canada, hate crimes against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community have also increased, with those targeting sexual orientation spiking 64 per cent between 2019 and 2021.