CORNWALL, Ontario – At their meeting on Monday, June 14, 2021, Cornwall City Council approved the painting of a mural in Lamoureux Park, just south of the Cornwall Clocktower.
The mural, which will be created by artist Kathleen Tuck will be a tribute to diversity for Pride Month which is June.
The design for the mural that was selected was done so in partnership with Diversity Cornwall Diversité, a group dedicated to promoting “visibility, wellness, and unity among people with diverse gender and sexual identities. We strive for equality and encourage acceptance in the Cornwall area and beyond through education and awareness,” according to their Facebook page.
“I just wanted to express how blown away by miss Tuck’s design for this mural,” said Councillor Carilyne Hébert.
Cornwall Mayor Bernadette Clement also praised the mural’s design as well as its location.
“Imagine in our premier park, at the base of our Clocktower which is a symbol of Cornwall to have this beautiful mural,” she said. “Diversity Cornwall has been helping other groups to organize around other issues, and I salute them for their growing expertise in addressing social issues in a diverse way.”
City administration hopes to have the mural installed by the end of the month, in time for the raising of the Pride flag over the Clocktower.
Originally, Cornwall City Council had asked administration for a report on the feasibility of painting a crosswalk in the city’s downtown in rainbow colours in honour of Pride.
In their report on Monday night, administration recommended against painting a crosswalk, citing recommendations from the city’s lawyers and insurance company that the municipality could be liable should any accidents occur.
“In summary, the City’s insurer advised against implementing crosswalks which do not follow applicable standards due to the increased risk and liability for the municipality should an accident ever occur,” administration’s report reads.
Administration’s report does acknowledge however that many other municipalities throughout North America have implemented painted crosswalks.
“What I would have liked to have seen were instances in other communities where artistic crosswalks have caused accidents,” said Councillor Hébert. “I think we are seeing communities all over the world implementing painted crosswalks.”
A majority of Council rejected administration’s recommendation to not proceed with a painted crosswalk, instead, Council passed a motion asking for administration for a further report on locations, budget, and timelines for creating a rainbow painted crosswalk.
“Doing anything new in a community is hard. It is a hard thing. Doing anything new particularly during a pandemic has been difficult,” said Mayor Clement. “I want to continue the conversation on how we can do this in the safest manner possible in the most welcoming way possible.”
