Pride month begins with advancements and controversy
Several organizations across London honoured the start of Pride month by hoisting either the Pride or Progress Pride flag.
For the first time, King’s University College lifted the Progress Pride flag to honour Pride Month.
“We want it to be inclusive, we want it to be diverse, and we want to send the message, which we believe the flag does, sends the message that everyone is welcome here at King's,” says Principal David Malloy.
The Thames Valley School Board, OPP headquarters and London Police Service (LPS) also raised the Progress Pride flag Tuesday. The latter did so after announcing Monday that London Pride's board of directors had welcomed LPS to participate in this year’s virtual festivities.
LPS Chief Steve Williams says that decision came after discussions with the board, “We just had conversations really, developing some understanding and some trust, which underpins everything we do.”
London police were asked by Pride in 2020 not to fly the flag, as the group stood with Black Lives Matter (BLM) in their call for systematic change to policing.
BLM representatives were disappointed with the reversal of that decision.
“It’s quite disrespectful to the communities that have come forward and said, ‘We have an issue here, we need to solve it, we need to talk through it, we need work through it,’ and none of that has...I\t’s only been a year, none of that has been done yet,” says Alexandra Kane.
Williams however defends the decision to participate, “I know that everybody is not on board with our participation, but I also know that many are, and this is part of an ongoing effort to forge relationships with communities that may be marginalized, that may feel like they’ve been unfairly treated by police in the past -- and they may have been indeed.”
Kane says police could have used the opportunity to do something tangible to make inroads with those communities.
“Why don’t we host a talk? Why don’t we host a town hall? Why don’t we hear from people and see what’s good? You don’t need to be in a parade, and you’re just making people angry, and that does nothing. That does nothing, it changes nothing.”
CTV News London made several attempts to contact the president of Pride London to discuss the decision to allow London police to participate and did not receive a response.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.