North Vancouver councillor calls on RCMP to enforce removal of hateful highway banners

A councillor in North Vancouver says the hateful, anti-LGBTQ2SIA+ banners regularly hung on an overpass need to be taken down, and is calling for the RCMP to step in.

District of North Vancouver Coun. Catherine Pope says signs hung at the Mountain Highway and Highway 1 Interchange overpass display hateful messages to drivers below.

“I think it’s time for the RCMP to step in. There’s an injunction that prevents them from having banners hanging over highway overpasses anywhere in B.C. — we saw a clear violation of that this week,” she said.

“Their messages are filled with hate. They’re clearly directed at the LGBTQ+ community.”

District of North Vancouver Coun. Catherine Pope says signs hung at the Mountain Highway and Highway 1 Interchange overpass display hateful messages to drivers below. (Kier Junos, CityNews Image)

Coun. Jordan Back also took to Twitter to share a message about the signs.

“Free speech is one thing, but these hateful messages and (sic) BS have no place in our community. They are extremely offensive and put the safety of people I care about at risk. Enough already,” the tweet reads.

Free speech is one thing, but these hateful messages and BS have no place in our community. They are extremely offensive and put the safety of people I care about at risk. Enough already. Where is the @nvanrcmp @TranBC? #NorthVan pic.twitter.com/2xGHM2yrDp

— Jordan Back (@jordanback) June 16, 2023

On May 11,  a court order banned people from gathering or displaying signs in the area of the overpass, but it hasn’t stopped some people from continuing to hang the banners.

“I really feel that we have to stand up and speak out against this kind of hateful behaviour,” Pope said.

In a statement to CityNews, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says “enforcement of the court order is the responsibility of the police.”

“The banners appearing on the overpass are hateful and raise a serious safety issue for people who use the highway…The hanging of banners from any highway overpass is not allowed under the Transportation Act,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, at Seymour Heights Elementary a celebration of Pride happened on Friday morning with a very different kind of banner created by students.

Seymour Heights Elementary Pride celebration sign. (Kier Junos, CityNews Image)

“Be the change you want to see in the world. That is basically what it’s all about. It’s about acceptance, regardless of differences, and we celebrate those differences,” Principal Sanj Johal said.

Johal is all too familiar with the current climate around queer issues at school – like when protesters interrupted a school board meeting in Surrey on Wednesday night – pushing back against sexual orientation and gender identity education.

He says he was even expecting protesters to line up across the street from his school’s Pride event.

“This certain event was a challenge, where we got more pushback than I had expected. But that also provides me an opportunity to say, ‘We still have a lot of work to do.’ And so the work we did today is just that step,” he said.

Principal Sanj Johal at Seymour Heights Elementary in North Vancouver. (Kier Junos, CityNews Image)

Pope was also at the event to demonstrate solidarity.
“Together as a community, if we show strength and speak out against it, then eventually, we will be successful in quelling this movement,” she said.

CityNews has reached out to the North Vancouver RCMP for comment.