Westlock now a backward town?
To the Editor:
As an area resident I observed with great interest the unfolding of events in the Town of Westlock that culminated in the “yes” vote that now compels council to enforce a neutrality by-law which, in my opinion, appears to be very reasonable. Why shouldn’t government spaces remain neutral?
From what I saw, the whole process was done in an orderly, democratic manner. No human rights were violated, as some have suggested. Town council apparently erred in their presumption that the community would wholeheartedly embrace the rainbow crosswalk and it came as a surprise to them that there would be pushback against what many saw as government overreach. But now that the crosswalk is to be removed, Westlock is being labeled as the town that is “taking the Pride community back to the dark ages” or something to that effect. In essence, a town going backwards for not embracing diversity.
I observed the outcome of the vote from Costa Rica where I spent a month. We stayed in smaller centers and travelled extensively. In all that time I did not see one Pride emblem anywhere. And that included the downtown core of the capital city of San Jose. The only flags flown are the Costa Rican national and provincial flags.
The people are hardworking, family oriented and are a largely devout Christian population. To my knowledge they are not a society of backward homophobes for not embracing the government displays of support for the Pride lifestyle to the extent we are expected to here. For me it was like a breath of fresh air. It is reminiscent of the way Westlock used to be not that long ago.
What should disturb town residents is the outside interference that was invited in by Council and which brought such dissent and division to Westlock. The DEI agreement Council signed on with the UN creates inequality in and of itself. MP Randy Boissoneault and MLA Janis Irwin both from Edmonton, and Thunder Alliance from St. Albert were allowed to weigh in on the matter of the rainbow sidewalk, despite the concerns of local residents. And now Dr. Kris Wells, associate professor of gender studies at NAIT, is generously providing Pride lawn signs to the people who want to show their support for the Pride community, because half of the townspeople apparently need to be taught a lesson for voting the way they did.
And a message for the young people who voiced their frustration by screaming and crying when the vote didn’t go in their favour. I hope you can accept the fact that the democratic process is alive and well in our country. Because someday, depending on the government in power and the issue at hand, you may be very happy that government overreach can still be circumvented. Unless you think that is taking another step backward?
Carol Stockman
Flatbush, AB
