Orange crosswalk honouring Indigenous children approved by Shelburne council

September 1, 2022 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Shelburne Town Council has approved the location for a Every Child Matters crosswalk as part of Orange Shirt Day reflection.

During their meeting on Monday (Aug. 29), town council approved the painting of the crosswalk at the intersection of William Street and Main Street, in close proximity to where a Every Child Matters reflection ceremony will be held on Sept. 30.

The idea for a crosswalk commemorating Orange Shirt Day and Every Child Matters came from a presentation to Council by the Dufferin County Cultural Resource Circle earlier this year. Shelburne’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee was tasked with reviewing the instillation as part of the 2022 budget.

“We know it’s a very important day to ensure that we recall and never forget the tragedies and atrocities that happened to Indigenous communities through the residential school program and include in that program event was the addition of an Every Child Matters Crosswalk,” said Denyse Morrissey, chief administrative officer.

The crosswalk in Shelburne is designed based on the one in Orangeville, located at the intersection of Broadway and First Street.

According to the report to council, the estimated cost for the crosswalk installation is $1,770.

Morrissey noted that the cost difference between the Orangeville and Shelburne crosswalk is due to a lower quality of paint, which will not have the same durability. She added that a quote of $15,000 was given for a similar quality of paint used in Orangeville.

Coun. Walter Benotto questioned whether using a lower quality paint with less durability made sense financially.

“The only option to get the quality of paint that Orangeville had was a $15,000 quote. There’s no paint to be had, we exhausted finding this paint, we even called other municipalities that have crosswalks and nobody has it. It could be ordered in but it will take months because it’s not in supply,” explained Morrissey. “It was simply a matter of timing.”

The painting of the crosswalk is expected to be completed between Sept. 23 and 26.

On Orange Shirt Day (Sept. 30), the Town of Shelburne is expected to hold a ceremony with the raising of the Every Child Matters flag, as well as a candlelight reflection walk.