A member of the Fort St. James RCMP is advocating to have a pride sidewalk installed in the district, including neighbouring municipalities of Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Houston and Smithers.
In a letter to mayor and council on June 15, Cst. Britni Reierson said the goal is to raise $2100 to purchase seven different colour of paint, paint supplies and to provide honorariums to the Elders participating in the initiative.
Reierson is currently assigned with the Indigenous Policing Section. She is one of the liaisons attached to Tl’azt’en Nation, however, also provides services to surrounding First Nation communities, and the District of Fort St. James.
In her letter, Reierson said having a pride crosswalk in each of the communities in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako will make people feel a sense of “community, pride and respect.”
The Courier has reached out to Reierson for more information.
Recently a pride bench was installed at Cottonwood Park to help celebrate pride month. Duncan Malkinson, corporate officer for Fort St. James said that upon receiving this request, “council agreed in principle to Cst. Reierson’s request, and encouraged the group to contact relevant authorities for guidance on how best to implement a Pride Sidewalk in the community, such as ensuring the right materials are used for the job, and discuss contingencies in the event of vandalism.”
He said council also asked staff to allocate $250 Grant-In-Aid towards the effort.
Aman Parhar
Editor, Vanderhoof Omineca Express
aman.parhar@ominecaexpress.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter