After consulting with the Royal Canadian Legion, Strathcona County will no longer be painting a poppy crosswalk.
At the March 12 council meeting, a report was shown about the proposed crosswalk, which would have been painted to honour veterans for Remembrance Day. The report showed that although the Legion was grateful for the aim of honouring Remembrance Day, they were not okay with the depiction of the poppy.
According to the National Poppy Foundation, they oppose any use of the poppy where people could walk or drive over it. The Legion confirmed this, saying that the poppy must be used in a way that prevents it from being represented dishonourably.
The idea of this crosswalk was started by Ward 1 councillor Robert Park last November, with the council unanimously supporting the idea of a report being made with a proposed design. However, after the report showed that the Legion did not fully support the crosswalk, the idea was scrapped entirely.
However, the county is now looking into other ways to honour veterans year-round, such as park and street renaming, or through a ‘Lest we forget’ poppy flag.
Council once again gave unanimous support towards another report, this time considering other options to recognize veterans in the county. The report is expected to return to council in the summer.
