Town of Pincher Creek denies Legion’s sidewalk mural request over safety concerns, eyes alternative tribute

A poppy is pinned next to a Royal Canadian Legion crest in Montreal, November 2, 2012. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)

The Town of Pincher Creek has turned down a proposal from the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion to paint a memorial sidewalk around its building, citing concerns about public safety, liability and long-term maintenance.

Legion secretary David Johnson presented the proposal to town council on May 12.

“Earlier, we thought that a crosswalk was a nice idea, but it’s very high maintenance,” Johnson told council. “They’re not going to last a long time. We might have to be doing them a couple of times in a year, depending on how much traffic is on them.”

The proposal outlined a plan to paint murals on the public sidewalk near the Legion building. It included white rectangles on the west- and south-facing sidewalks at 691 Main St., each featuring soldier silhouettes and other commemorative imagery.

Inspired by similar projects in Calgary and Edmonton, the artwork was envisioned as a tribute to those who have served in the Canadian military — in honour of the Royal Canadian Legion’s 100th anniversary in 2026, and the local branch’s own centennial shortly after.

Johnson said the Legion would handle both installation and upkeep using stencils, donated materials and marine-grade paint.

“All we are really looking for is approval,” Johnson said. “We plan on doing everything using our own people, and hopefully we can get some donations for the paint.”

Mayor Don Anderberg asked town administration to gather more information on the proposal and bring it back to council at a future meeting.

At the May 26 meeting, town administration presented several concerns for council to weigh before making a decision. While acknowledging the commemorative intent of the project, administration raised questions about the practicality and long-term implications of painting on public sidewalks.

Safety topped the list, with staff warning that many paints can become slippery when wet or cold. They recommended using road-grade paint like that used for crosswalks — though even that, they noted, isn’t fully proven to work on concrete sidewalks.

Administration also suggested alternatives, such as painting murals on the Legion building itself or creating a crosswalk in Legion colours.

Another concern was long-term maintenance. While the Legion planned to handle upkeep, the sidewalks are public property, meaning the town would be responsible if the Legion could no longer maintain them.

During the discussion, Coun. Mark Barber supported the Legion’s revised mural proposal, calling it tasteful and a meaningful way to honour a community institution.

However, safety and liability concerns dominated the conversation.

Coun. Wayne Oliver echoed support for the Legion’s contributions but emphasized the risk of slippery paint on sidewalks and the town’s responsibility for public safety.

“We need to be responsible to ensure that we’re not sacrificing public safety on wet paint that gets slippery,” Oliver said. “If this does go forward … all liability for slipping and falling and crashing, I suspect, would fall on us, not the Legion.”

Coun. Garry Cleland echoed this, suggesting non-slip grit paint but raising questions about who would maintain the murals and how other future mural requests would be handled.

He added that while the concept is meaningful, the town needs clear standards.

“We’re also going to be responsible for saying No or Yes to other people who apply to do it,” Cleland said.

CAO Konrad Dunbar explained that road paint used on asphalt might not perform well on concrete. He added that public-use paints, even those marketed as non-slip, require regular inspection and maintenance.

“If we go and paint this sidewalk, or we allowed it to be painted with a grit paint and it’s wearing off and becomes slippery, we’re automatically liable,” Dunbar said.

Coun. Sahra Nodge said she would support the project only if a formal funding and maintenance agreement was developed.

“I’m OK supporting this if there’s a degree of comfort that you’re able to develop some kind of funding and relationship tools that could work with them,” Nodge said.

She suggested that if sidewalk murals were to become an option for community celebrations, a broader framework and policy would be needed.

Oliver suggested alternatives like freestanding metal silhouettes would be safer and require less maintenance.

“What are other ways or means to accomplish the same end of celebrating the Legion that doesn’t have the slipperiness on the sidewalk?” he asked. “To me, it’s appealing to have free-standing steel structures kind of right there, life-size in the grass.”

Anderberg thanked the Legion for its ongoing service to the community and emphasized that the decision was based on practical constraints.

“Any paint on cement that I’ve ever been involved with, it’s a hazard,” he said. “Even though I support the Legion a lot, I can’t support this direction.”

He also voiced concern about setting a precedent without clear policy.

After reviewing these points, council ultimately decided to deny the request.

Barber proposed an amended motion to accept the report as information and direct administration to hold further discussions with the Legion to explore safer, alternative possibilities for recognizing those who have served in the Canadian military.

The amended motion passed unanimously.