IROQUOIS – The planned Rainbow Pride Crosswalk to connect Seaway District High School to the Iroquois Village Plaza has been relocated with a plan to install it this spring.
In Spring 2022, a delegation of students from Seaway received approval from South Dundas council to install the rainbow-painted crosswalk across Elizabeth Drive. Paint supply issues and weather caused delays in the project being completed in 2022.
The new location for the crosswalk will be across Beach Street, connecting the front of the secondary school to its parking lot on the opposite side of the road.
South Dundas communications coordinator Shawna O’Neill explained the change is due to a few factors.
“This new location is favoured as it will connect two walkable surfaces in a rectangle shape,” O’Neill explained. “The previous location on the west side of the building did not connect directly to two walkable surfaces.”
The crosswalk plans to use the “Progress Pride” flag design, which in addition to the traditional six colour rainbow for the LGTBQ+ community, adds a chevron of four bands representing people of colour, and those who identify as transgender, gender non-conforming, and undefined. The diagonal crosswalk between the Seaway driveway entrance and the sidewalk at the post office would have altered the flag design to be painted.
“It was also found to have a longer shape that may not highlight each colour of the rainbow proportionately,” O’Neill continued. “The work is set to begin this spring.”
That work, when it starts, will be taken on by Tomlinson Group, O’Neill confirmed.
“I can confirm that in late 2022, Tomlinson Group offered to assist with the project and cover the costs associated with painting, stating that the company is always looking to help support LGBTQ+ initiatives,” she said.
Ottawa-based Tomlinson Group purchased the Universal Terminals property and port located between Iroquois and Morrisburg in mid-2022.
No specific time-line or completion date for the project was given.