The former chairman of Montreal’s public transit authority will lead the independent investigation into the abrupt cancellation of the city’s annual Pride parade.
The city announced the appointment of Philippe Schnobb in a brief news release Friday. He will make recommendations and submit them to Montreal Pride “in the coming months.”
“I am undertaking this mission with diligence and sensitivity. I have the success of the next editions of this essential event for the community and the city of Montreal at heart,” Schnobb said in a statement.
The probe comes after organizers pulled the plug on the parade last Sunday, hours ahead of when it was set to begin. The festival’s executive director cited security concerns due to a lack of volunteers to ensure it could go ahead safely.
The sudden move left thousands of attendees without a parade. Furious with the abrupt cancellation, multiple groups rallied together to hold their own unsanctioned marches.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has said she was not informed of the labour issue before the event was cancelled. The week-long Pride festival, which included concerts and other events and ended Sunday, received $600,000 from the city.
Montreal Pride is also conducting its own internal probe into what happened. The Board of Directors said it will fully co-operate with Schnobb’s investigation.
— with files from Global News’ Dan Spector and The Canadian Press
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