On the eve of Vancouver’s annual Pride Parade, organizers say they’re being forced to shoulder an unfair portion of the costs to put on the event.
The Vancouver Pride Society says the City of Vancouver requires it to cover tens of thousands of dollars in cleaning and policing costs.
It contrasted that with the Celebration of Light fireworks display, which saw the city take care of those costs.
“The city, it does give us a grant, but it’s like a discount basically. They give us a huge bill and say we’re going to take a little bit off,” Pride Society secretary Morgane Oger told Global News.
“Last year the final bill from the city was a hundred and something thousand, this year it’s looking like we’re going to be paying $130,000 all said and done.”
According to the city, the Celebration of Light has a “legacy” agreement that was passed by council in 2001, which sees the city cover the entirety of associated costs.
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The city said Pride is eligible for up to $75,000 through its city’s FestShare program. With the exception of the fireworks, that FestShare funding is the same for all other events in the city, it said.
The Pride Parade is returning for 2025 with a shorter route than in previous years as it grapples with financial pressures, including the growing cost of public safety.
The Aug. 3 procession will head from east to west this year, a reversal from previous events, starting at Pacific Boulevard near Griffiths Way.
The parade will end at the intersection of Burrard and Pacific streets, a few blocks from the Davie Village Pride Festival, which will take over Davie Street between Burrard and Jervis streets.
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