Toronto City Hall voted to continue $260,000 in funding for Toronto’s Pride Parade despite pressure from police officers within the LGBTQ community (and some on city council) to pull it.
This, after Black Lives Matter stopped the parade last year, providing a list of demands including banning police in uniform from the parade.
Pride Toronto quickly folded under the pressure, instead of facilitating a discussion between the two groups, that fall under the same rainbow umbrella.
Apparently that has changed, since many cried foul when a movement that prides itself as being inclusive is exclusionary, rather than working through a solution.
And of course, the funding was in jeopardy.
Police and parade organizers concluded that pulling the funding wouldn’t correct the issue, leaving one to ponder if they feel keeping police out, does.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said Toronto Pride and Toronto police are now working towards a resolution that would hopefully see police inclusion by next year’s parade.
Therefore, this year’s parade funding will continue, as promised.
If not, I’m not too sure the public will be as supportive next year.
Scott Thompson is the host of The Scott Thompson Show at AM900 CHML and a commentator for Global News.