Alberta town to vote on neutrality bylaw brought forth by petition

Residents of Westlock, Alta., are set to vote on a bylaw Thursday that, if passed, would restrict the town from displaying certain flags and crosswalks in an effort to keep public spaces politically neutral.

A plebiscite over a neutrality bylaw, spurred by a door-to-door petition signed by more than 700 residents, was announced in November. The bylaw would ban crosswalks and flags supporting "political, social, or religious movements or commercial entities," if approved.

All crosswalks could only be painted in the standard white-striped pattern, and the town would be also limited to flying only municipal, provincial and federal flags on public property.

If passed, a rainbow crosswalk painted last summer between town hall and the Royal Canadian Legion would be removed.

Town staff received a petition on Sept. 15, 2023, from the Westlock Neutrality Team, led by Westlock resident Stephanie Bakker, asking council to make a bylaw "ensuring that crosswalks and flags on public property remain neutral."

Bakker was one of several people who voiced opposition to the rainbow crosswalk at a council meeting last June — two weeks before it was painted. 

Under Alberta's Municipal Government Act, petitions must be signed by at least 10 per cent of an area's population to go before council. With Westlock's official population count of 4,921, Bakker needed at least 492 people to sign. She received about 700 signatures.

After collecting the required number of signatures, Westlock town staff had 45 days to verify the petition and draft a bylaw. Under the act, council is required to pass first reading within 30 days. Councillors could then choose to pass second and third readings, or call a plebiscite. 

Bakker said last week in an interview that council has chosen sides on what she's calling a "contentious issue." She said council members, including mayor Jon Kramer, have been encouraging residents to vote against the bylaw through videos and mail flyers.

"That's not really something you want to see from your elected representatives," she said.

"Everything they're doing is legal; I just really doubt if it's ethical."

Bakker said people are feeling weary ahead of Thursday's vote. Residents "just want to get along," she said, but feel as if the mayor and council are trying to push people to vote in their favour.

"They are saying that they're doing it out of compassion and caring and wanting to make the town inclusive, but … people are feeling a bit bullied," she said.

One of the residents supporting Bakker is Benita Pedersen, who helped collect signatures on the petition. She said elected representatives should serve people in a fair and impartial manner — something she believes has not happened.