Crosswalk talk takes a turn
Council largely ignores anti-LGBTQ rant, discusses future of memorial roadwork
First things first. I want to start off by saying thanks to all you readers and a welcome to you newer folks. A couple of days ago Trent Hills News reached 1,000 subscribers, up more than 30 per cent in the past year. Today, it’s at 1,007 and continuing to grow.
I didn’t really know what to expect when I started attending council meetings almost three years ago and sent the first email reports to about 50 people whose addresses I had. (I knew I was breaking the rules by sending out emails without prior approval, but I figured it was easy for people to unsubscribe.)
Since then, the interest in what local politicians are doing in Trent Hills has been gratifying and a bit surprising, really. I’ve had more favourable reaction to these stories than any of the hundreds of stories I wrote for The Toronto Star or other publications. I’ve come to realize just how much people care about this community and how hungry they are for real information, not just the untrustworthy ‘news’ that you can get from social media.
So, onward and upward. I hope to provide stories this fall during our election campaign that will help you decide who to vote for. I’m working on a survey that will identify what you consider to be the biggest issues and should have that published in a week or two.
Trent Hills council has added a welcome new feature to its meetings, a chance for people to comment on items that are on the agenda. At Tuesday’s meeting it heard from three people about separate items that were coming up later and those speakers had a chance to offer their perspectives.
One issue on the agenda was a staff report on the issue of crosswalk symbols, such as the colourful Pride ones that have existed for several years.
In August 2025 a resident who had seen a similar crosswalk in another town, asked the municipality to add a memorial crosswalk in each of our urban areas to highlight the sacrifices that veterans have made.
Community Development Manager Kira Mees looked into the topic and wrote the report council was to consider. She recommended a pause on all future installations and the replacement of the existing commemorative ones and the development of a formal review policy for such installations on municipal property. Essentially, the goal will be to suggest murals or other ways to recognize important community events because crosswalks are not effective.
Her report said it would cost about $45,000 for three commemorative military crosswalks, plus about $20,000 per year for updates and repairs.
Roads Manager Neil Allanson said the existing Pride crosswalks cost about $1,900 when installed but would need to be replaced next year and the thermoplastic products now cost $4,200 or more.
Mees’ report said that the Ontario Traffic Manual, the provincial guide, says: “Standard crosswalk markings must be provided at all signal and stop-controlled pedestrian crossings.”
She suggested that, “While commemorative crosswalks are created with positive intentions and provide visible public recognition, standard crosswalk markings are intended to promote public safety in a consistent and recognizable manner.”
Photos from the other municipalities show that the Legion crosswalks quickly become faded and lack any impact.
Ron Nelson addressed council on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 380 in Warkworth and spoke passionately in favour of a greater focus on remembering our veterans. His comments were also extremely anti-LGBTQ and anti-Pride. I won’t repeat them here. You can see them on the council video on its website or YouTube, if interested.
The gist of his comments was that Pride groups receive far more publicity than military members and that should change.
Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalf responded to Nelson’s comments. “I have challenges with the focus of your comments. I don’t believe that supporting every individual in Trent Hills is the wrong thing to do.
“I have a small Pride flag in my business. It will stay there. It’s there 365 days a year. I apologize. No, I don’t apologize. I am sorry that you are uncomfortable with me and my business being accepting to everyone.“
Metcalf also said that he supported the Canadian military for its actions over the years but noted that “gay and lesbian members were prosecuted to the highest degree up until very recently.”
“I personally know military members in Canada who were prosecuted for being gay,” he said.
In the end, council agreed to pause the use of commemorative crosswalks and develop a policy for how to recognize groups and individuals.
You can read all Trent Hills News stories on my website here.
I must congratulate you, Art, for starting up the online community news site. Having started out at a weekly newspaper, now long gone, I know the importance of keeping a community informed, and how much the residents appreciate it.