'Banner Town': St. Marys innovates again to show Pride
'Banner Town': St. Marys innovates again to show Pride
St. Marys, Ont. -
Construction will not get in the way of celebrating inclusivity and acceptance in St. Marys.
The town has found a unique way to celebrate Pride within the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Pending anticipated final approval in March, the town will install a dozen banner flags representing multiple marginalized communities, according to Mayor Al Strathdee.
“There are different flags for different communities. So, this way is kind of a catch-all."
The banners will be set on the same supports the town uses for its veterans' tribute banners each November.
“We really wanted to make a statement that this is a very welcoming community,” states Strathdee.
The idea to create the banners began with St. Marys Councillor Lynn Hainer.
St. Marys, Ont. town Councillor Lynn Hainer is seen on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
She is a regular participant, with her family, in Stratford’s Pride parade.
Hainer says she became incensed when a newly created Pride crosswalk in the Festival City was vandalized. The incident occurred last October, just a day after it was painted.
Working with Stratford-Perth Pride, Hainer pushed for the creation of a new crosswalk in St. Marys.
But when it turned out the planned location was slated for construction, the banner idea was conceived.
Hainer believes the concept, shown in conceptual drawings to councillors, will work to get a message across.
“Rural Ontario is a very challenging place to come out in,” she tells CTV News London, adding “It is becoming easier today, but yet, we want to make sure we are telling our youth through our actions what it means to be loved and accepted.”
Strathdee believes the banners will help spread that message, with more actions to come.
“We’re not opposed to getting a crosswalk in the future. But, we just want to get something going, and this is our starting point.”
In Alberta today, the United Conservative Party is looking to win a second consecutive majority government while the NDP is fighting to regain the office it lost in 2019.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
There's a heightened risk of wildfires across the country during what has been one of the earliest fire seasons on record. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, here's where the risk is highest.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
Windsor city council voted Monday in favour of adopting a master plan with high hopes for City Hall Square and a so-called civic esplanade stretching down to the river
A united front was on full display Monday as community leaders, politicians, business people, unions and educators gathered together at Windsor City Hall to ensure the NextStar Energy battery plant deal gets closed.
Doctors in their final year of training, called residency, can choose to do a one-month rotation at the Shelter Health Initiative (SHI) caring for Windsor’s homeless population.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Ottawa police are praising a local dad for quickly calling for help Sunday afternoon when he accidentally locked his keys in his car, and his infant child along with them.
Ontario Provincial Police say a driver from Augusta Township is facing an impaired driving charge after someone on Highway 416 spotted a vehicle moving erratically.
The union representing the majority of Quebec's daycare workers is criticizing the government's decision to launch a skimpy 90-hour training program for people who want to be daycare workers but have no prior experience.
A Quebec driver who caused the death of another motorist when he swerved his truck to avoid hitting a family of ducks on the road has been sentenced to eight months in jail and a three-year driving ban.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
In Alberta today, the United Conservative Party is looking to win a second consecutive majority government while the NDP is fighting to regain the office it lost in 2019.
One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.
In Alberta today, the United Conservative Party is looking to win a second consecutive majority government while the NDP is fighting to regain the office it lost in 2019.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
St. Marys, Ont. town Councillor Lynn Hainer is seen on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (Sean Irvine / CTV News) 
