Rainbow crosswalk vandalized, Pride flag set on fire in Hope, B.C.
The small community of Hope, B.C., saw two acts of vandalism targeting Pride displays Thursday morning, incidents police say they are treating as potential hate crimes.
In one incident, the window of the building that houses Hope Community Services was smashed and the Pride flag hanging behind the glass was lit on fire.
Robin Wells, the acting executive director of the non-profit, told CTV News they are now stuck with thousands of dollars worth of damage which has forced them not only to board up their windows but to relocate their meal program.
“The Pride flag was barely damaged that they tried to burn but our office is toast,” said Wells.
“It not only affects us but the community that we feed.”
Just hours before, Hope Pride gathered on the corner of 4th Avenue and Park Street to paint the community’s first rainbow crosswalk.
During the early morning hours on Thursday, Hope Pride say the sidewalk was defaced with anti-LGBTQ2+ messages and slurs.
“One said gays equal scum and the other used a derogatory term that I will not say that starts with the letter 'F,'” said Megan te Boekhorst, the organization's chair, adding that seeing the pictures brought her to tears but also strengthened her resolve to continue to celebrate Pride month.
Shortly after word got around that the crosswalk had been defaced, te Boekhorst says a group of high school students rushed to the intersection and began repainting the rainbow.
Vandalizing and defacing Pride crosswalks, flags and other symbols is not unique to Hope
West Vancouver, White Rock, Port Alberni are just three communities to have their rainbow crosswalks defaced in recent years. Pride flags and banners in Delta continue to be vandalized.
Kelli Paddon, the province's parliamentary secretary for gender equity, believes the attacks targeting the LGBTQ2+ community are growing.
“We need to educate. We need to educate ourselves. We need to stop pretending like human rights are a debate,” she said, while also noting she has seen communities rally together in the wake of these types of incidents.
The building housing Hope Community Services Services is expected to be repaired and reopened to the public in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the meal program has been moved to the building next door.
As of Friday afternoon, no suspects have been identified.
“They are targeting the Pride flag, the Pride community, we’re also investigating it as a hate crime,” said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Mike Sargent when asked about the status of the investigation.
Mounties are asking the public to come forward with any information about the two incidents by calling 604-869-7750.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.