Toronto city councillor John Campbell is mulling over the idea of bringing forward a motion to pull a municipal grant for the Pride Parade if police officers continue to be excluded from participating.
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders announced in February that officers will not take part in this year’s parade but will continue to provide security for the event.
The controversial decision came about after Pride Toronto members voted in January to remove police floats from the parade following pressure from Black Lives Matter Toronto.
READ MORE: Toronto police dropping out of this year’s Pride Parade
The City of Toronto currently provides a $260,000 grant to fund the parade.
“What I’m thinking of doing is bringing forward a motion where we ask that it be suspended until such time as they reaffirm their core value of inclusivity, which they haven’t done by excluding the police,” Campbell told Global News.
“So really, it’s just an attempt to bring the two sides together to start talking so the police can be a part of that whole Pride celebration.”
Saunders reiterated to reporters at police headquarters on Tuesday that he chose to pull out of the parade over the divisiveness.
“I pulled out because of the distraction pieces and we’re in the process of looking at the marginalized section of the community to develop and strengthen our relationships,” Saunders said.
READ MORE: Pride Toronto votes to remove police floats, marches from parade
“As long as the Toronto Police Service has an understanding of what our role is when it comes to developing and enhancing the relationship with the community, any communities, any segment of our city that may feel marginalized, we will move forward to try to mend any of those bridges.”
Police participation in the Pride Parade was put into question last year after the Toronto chapter of the Black Lives Matter group staged a sit-in that halted the event for nearly 30 minutes.
They had asked for nine demands to be met, one of which included a ban on police at future events.
One of the group’s co-founders, Alexandria Williams, told reporters last July they were opposed to having a “militarized” police presence at the parade and would prefer officers take part in the festivities without their uniform and guns.
Campbell said his proposed motion has the support of several fellow councillors which he intends to bring up at next month’s council meeting.
READ MORE: Black Lives Matter wants protest demands met by Pride Toronto despite flip-flop
“I didn’t shop this around heavily. I mean, I’ve talked to a few people who happen to have offices near me. Generally, people seem to be on board with it,” he said.
“My goal is not to have a ruckus, day-long debate on this, but really just to have a thoughtful discussion of whether or not we should be granting money to this organization under these circumstances.”
Pride Toronto executive director Olivia Nuamah said she can “barely speculate” on the impact of potentially losing the grant from the city.
“We believe in our festival and our festival will go on no matter what,” she said.
VIDEO: Pride Toronto has voted to no longer allowing uniformed police officers to participate in the pride parade
Nuamah said the organization has worked hard to address the concerns of its membership.
“Our membership’s relationship with the police was spelled out as an issue,” she said. “We feel positive that we will find the right solution to the issues that have been brought up.”
Nuamah, who has been in her position for about six weeks, said her understanding is the police withdrew from the festivities in order to “minimize negativity” and address community concerns. She said police will continue to provide public safety throughout the festival.
With files from The Canadian Press
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