A special splash of colour is planned for Hamilton's International Village: the neighbourhood's BIA has received a provincial grant to create a "rainbow crosswalk" at the intersection of King William Street and Ferguson Avenue.

"It's a celebration of inclusiveness," said Susie Braithwaite, executive director of the International Village BIA. "We have a long tradition of inclusiveness with the LGBTQ community. We want to make sure they feel welcome."

It's a celebration of inclusiveness. - Susie Braithwaite , International Village BIA

The intersection is right next to the old Steel Lounge, which "unfortunately closed down last year," Braithwaite points out. She said there was no specific thing that motivated this project, but "this is something I've always wanted to do in the neighbourhood."

"I've been there for seven years. I have a lot of friends in the LGBTQ community, and wanted to show inclusiveness. That's why I applied for this grant."

Early days, old issues

The total estimated cost of the project is $10,000, although Braithwaite emphasizes that anything about it could change as they are still in the planning stages. The provincial grant, which comes from a program aiming to celebrate diversity in recognition of Canada's 150th anniversary, covers a large percentage of the expense. The rest will be covered by the BIA.

City council is set to consider the motion for the crosswalk on Monday, with the motion coming from Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr.

"I think it's a terrific effort from the BIA," said Farr, and upon whose board he said he's proud to be a voting member.

"It's not unique, but it's unique to this community," he said. With an expected increase in foot traffic in that neighbourhood in coming years, Farr said he hopes that, on top of celebrating the LGBTQ community, the bright colours will also alert drivers and make pedestrians a little bit safer.

We have to go deeper than painting the sidewalks. - Deirdre Pike, advocate for LGBTQ issues

In 2016, the Social Planning and Research Council announced its findings from a study examining the inclusiveness of Hamilton at large in regard to its LGBTQ community. The result was: Hamilton scored rather poorly overall.

While the SPRC's final report from that time does praise the efforts and improvements that have already been made, its bottom line is that a lot of essential aspects of equality are still lacking in Hamilton. With that in mind, the report makes a number of suggestions for reform at several levels.

Deirdre Pike, the primary author of the report, and a prominent advocate for LGBTQ issues, responded to the news of the rainbow crosswalk by saying, "It's a nice idea, but it's important that these sorts of things are done with and for the LGBTQ community."

"We have to go deeper than painting the sidewalks," Pike said. She feels that, while it's a nice gesture from the BIA, city hall and the community have "a bigger role to play" in ensuring that symbols of LGBTQ tolerance do not send a message of safety and tolerance that is incongruent with reality.

Braithwaite said, pending council's approval, they hope to have the rainbow crosswalk complete by this year's Pride Week, which is in June.

dave.beatty@cbc.ca | @dbeatty