Strathmore council defeats motion to ban non-standard symbols, flags

The Strathmore Municipal Building is seen in a photo from June 2021. (Supplied/Google Maps)

Town of Strathmore council voted to defeat Coun. Brent Wiley’s motion to remove non-standard symbols from roads and flags following an emotional debate on May 6.

Members of the public filled council chambers both to voice their dissent to the motion, as well as to hear their elected officials’ thoughts on the revived debate, which had been defeated by Strathmore’s previous council.

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“Every rule about what can and cannot be displayed sends a message about who belongs, who is welcome, and who we choose to erase from view,” said Peter Jenner, a Strathmore resident who spoke before council during the debate.

Jenner described to council the lack of a “legal standard” used to describe crosswalks in Alberta, with common road safety markings largely being habitual as opposed to mandated.

“If safety isn’t a concern and neutrality isn’t psychologically possible, what does this bylaw proposition really do? It revokes the sense of belonging and welcoming that the town has worked to espouse following racial flashpoint events of past years,” he said.

Symbols, culture and iconography referenced by several members of the public as well as by council included Christmas, and those of local hockey teams being commonly available for view during respectively appropriate times of year.

Inversely, symbols highlighting Filipino culture, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Ramadan, are lacking in their visibility.

Permanent non-standard symbols prominently displayed by the town include the First Nations healing garden, and the Lead By Example monument, both prominently visible near to the town office.

The Town of Strathmore received nearly 70 notices from the public referencing the bylaw prior to its discussion in council chambers. These included both letters of support and opposition to the proposal, though the majority were noted to be against.

“Young people need to feel safe and affirmed in their community. Representation matters, symbols save lives. When you remove the only visible symbol that a vulnerable person has to feel safe and welcome, you are not being neutral, you are making a choice and that choice has consequences,” said Mandy Gillespie, another member of the public who spoke before council.

Wiley was among council members who opposed the establishment of the crosswalk when it was last brought before council, at the time also suggesting that approval of such markings being displayed in public supports the creation of social classes and movements towards Marxism.

He added that since his introduction of the notice of motion, he has experienced a wave of threats, insults, and degradation of his public reputation.

“The intensity of the personal attacks on me over the last number of weeks is the most compelling evidence I can offer as to exactly why this bylaw is needed,” he said. “There is a clear division in our community and that by picking a side on any given contentious debate, we are giving residents the impression that this issue is a zero-sum game and that we council are picking the winners and losers.”

Wiley suggested the motion as a “peace treaty,” stating that the town should not be involved in issues such as whether to support or denounce certain cultures and identities.

“I believe good governance shouldn’t focus on ideological issues but instead focus on the most basic issues like managing our scarce financial resources and operating the town,” he added.

The local pride crosswalk was funded by and painted by members of the local community such as Skatemore Girls, and aside from petitioning for approval to create the markings, did not require time or monetary investment from the town to produce.

It was also pointed out during the discussion, that members of the public simply raising flags and symbols on their own property does not guarantee their safety.

Instances have been documented of doxxing, harassment, and the filming of local private property which displayed symbols supporting LGBTQIA+ culture.

“Per the Municipal Governance Act of Alberta, councils are accountable to their citizens and not to their personal convictions. As such, policy decisions must be grounded in the diverse needs of all residents, not in the religious or political priorities of council members or their non-secular employers,” said Sarah Thornton. “This motion appears to be directly aligned with Action for Canada, an organization that is described by residents and civil rights groups as an alt-right Christian nationalist group with a documented history of homophobic and anti-2SLGBTQIA activism.”

Thornton expressed concerns regarding letters in support of the proposed bylaw being worded in similar extremes to the call for action template used on the Action for Canada website.

“The installation of special-interest group road markings on public property, and the display of their flags – or those of foreign nations – signals presence, authority, and control, serving as a visible declaration of allegiance and support and reflecting a perception of shared values or a common cause,” was sent amongst 10 identical letters submitted by multiple senders.

Straying from the prevalent subject of queer representation, Mayor Pat Fule adamantly denounced the motion, opting to focus more on the impact to the local Legion branch, which would no longer have been allowed to display a crosswalk with Remembrance iconography.

Fule described the lack of ability to maintain such a way to showcase and honour military veterans and fallen in Strathmore as a blatant insult to those individuals.

Additionally, he broached the topic from a financial point of view – expressing concern as to whether banning such displays of culture, remembrance and partnership would impact business and industry investment in the town.

“Many investors in Strathmore area and around Alberta watch many of our council meetings. What will these other investors, developers, industry, industry leaders and companies think of Strathmore when they have policies for … diversity and inclusion and we do not, and if we do away with the pride crosswalk,” said Fule. “Even potential new doctors have watched our meetings in the past to decide if they’re going to locate in Strathmore. Will all of those people see this town as a progressive, welcoming community or one that judges and is afraid of people’s differences? There could be an impact on the town attracting industry and investors negatively affecting our economic development.”

Fule added that the bylaw, as it had been proposed, suggested to go against initiatives outlined in council’s strategic plan for the current term by eliminating a source of community connectedness.

Coun. Melissa Langmaid referenced discourse which circulated the town when separatist supporters were allowed to rent the civic center to host their petition tables and compared the discussion to that which took place surrounding the rainbow crosswalk and other non-standard symbols.

“We came to the conclusion … they (weren’t) breaking any laws. They rented it legally. I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean I should ban it. And that’s … where we landed. And that I believe should be the consistent approach we take on this Pride sidewalk,” she said.

Councillors Matt Hyde and Claude Brown expressed interest in further discussion of the bylaw, wanting to see what it could look like and open an opportunity to adjust its wording throughout development.

A sentiment common but not universal expressed by council members was that the issue should be put to rest as quickly as possible, allowing for staff and administration to return to other pressing matters of maintaining operations throughout the town.

The resulting 4-3 vote defeating the motion saw Mayor Fule, Coun. Langmaid, Coun. Wegener and Coun. James Chisholm voting against, while Coun. Wiley, Coun. Hyde and Coun. Brown voted in favour.

(With files from the Strathmore Times, July 2023, September 2023)

John Watson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Strathmore Times