Thanks to help from the public, the Comox Valley RCMP have issued a ticket in regards to the defacing of Courtenay’s rainbow crosswalk in June.
This spring, a downtown crosswalk was painted in rainbow colours to celebrate diversity for the Gay Pride Movement. Widely accepted as a symbol of inclusiveness, such crosswalks have been installed throughout North America in recent years.
Several Island communities have rainbow sidewalks.
A day after the crosswalk was painted in the city, people in the area could hear truck tires squealing at the intersection and burn marks from tires could be screen across the coloured stripes.
Const. Monika Terragni, RCMP media spokesperson said while police were unable to positively identify the driver of the vehicle, the registered owner was issued a violation ticket under the Motor Vehicle Act.
She added the name of the owner will not be released since this is not a criminal charge and there is no court date associated unless the registered owner chooses to dispute the ticket.
“It was with assistance from the public in providing the correct licence plate that police were able to forward the investigation,” she explained.
Due to the number of colours, rainbow crosswalks cost about $1,500 to install and another $1,500 a year to refresh, according to the City of Courtenay.