Barrhead, Alta., to remove rainbow crosswalk after neutral space bylaw vote

An Alberta mayor says his town's vote for a bylaw that would ban things like Pride flags and crosswalks from public property reflects democracy in action, while others say it's a step in the wrong direction.

More than 1,100 residents of Barrhead, Alta., voted Monday for a bylaw that would bar political, social, religious, or commercial symbols from municipal land.

Roughly 57 per cent of those who went to polls in the town northwest of Edmonton voted yes to council passing the "neutral space bylaw." The bylaw was drafted after a petition signed by more than 700 people called for neutrality.

"Council responded to the valid petition in accordance with the [Municipal Government Act] and gave the community the opportunity to voice their opinions," Dave McKenzie, mayor of Barrhead, said in a statement Tuesday.

"The results demonstrate that approximately one-third of eligible voters took part in this important decision, ensuring a larger representation of the community had a say in the matter."

Under the act, petitions with signatures from at least 10 per cent of an area's population must go before council.

The town said council would pass the bylaw and begin removing existing crosswalks or flags that violate it, including a Pride crosswalk, a disability pride crosswalk, a Royal Canadian Legion flag and a Treaty 6 flag.

"There were a lot of happy faces last night," said Ard Doornbos from Barrhead Neutrality, the group that organized the petition.

Doornbos said the group, which began petitioning in June, took inspiration from the nearby town of Westlock.

That community passed a similar bylaw in February, after its residents argued governments should not promote some people over others.

Barrhead residents were concerned their crosswalks, which the town had billed as decorative, were becoming "crosswalks for causes," he said.

"We're not against any of these causes or groups," he said. "We simply think it does not belong on public property.

"If you want to look for ways to communicate your cause, there are several other ways that you can do that. But public property is not the place for that."

United Conservative Party legislature member Glenn van Dijken said in a statement that residents of the town, which is in his riding, engaged in thoughtful discussion before Monday's vote and its result "reflects the will of the community."

Janis Irwin, an opposition NDP legislature member raised in Barrhead, told reporters the result was "disheartening" and she worries for young diverse people in the town. She said she felt honoured to witness Pride crosswalks painted there in 2022 and 2024.

Barrhead is still a safe and welcoming town, Irwin said, but she's concerned by the removal of things like its flag for Treaty 6, which includes First Nations across central Alberta and Saskatchewan.

"Neutrality benefits the oppressor," Irwin said. "I don't think it's neutrality at all.

"I don't want to say that it was a response in hate. It just shows that we have a whole lot more work to do to educate and inform our province."

Doornbos said people of all stripes live in Barrhead and that the vote won't change how people can find ways to support each other.