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Pride Toronto must return to its political roots, advocates say as sponsors leave

Pride Toronto must return to its political roots, advocates say as sponsors leave

Global News11-07-2025
As a major funding shortfall looms over Pride Toronto, some prominent LGBTQ+ advocates say it's high time to rethink the organization's corporate partnerships and return to its political grassroots.
Ahead of last month's Pride parade, organizers sounded the alarm over Pride Toronto's $900,000 shortfall after sponsors such as Google, Nissan, Home Depot and Clorox pulled their support.
Pride Toronto executive director Kojo Modeste attributed the corporate withdrawals to backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States, though some of the companies said their decisions were made solely because of budgetary considerations.
Although this year's festivities went ahead as planned, Modeste warned that next year's Pride festival may have to be scaled back.
Fatima Amarshi, a former executive director of Pride Toronto, says this is the right moment for a reset.
Amarshi led the organization for three years starting in 2005, right after Canada legalized same-sex marriage, and helped lay the foundation of its current funding model.
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At that time, she said Pride Toronto vetted corporate sponsors only to ensure their internal policies were supportive of LGBTQ+ employees and the broader community.
'We weren't looking at how corporate sponsors were funding arms manufacturers or fossil fuels or efforts to suppress Indigenous land claims. We were linking queer rights to human rights at the level of state repression and legislative oppression, but not via those who fund those efforts,' she said.
2:07
Pride Toronto loses some key corporate sponsors
During her tenure, Pride Toronto's budget grew from a little under $1 million to around $3 million, Amarshi said.
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But as that budget expanded over the years thanks to major corporate sponsors, some criticized the increasing commercialization of the annual Pride festival at the expense of its original purpose. More recently, Pride Toronto has faced calls to cut ties with corporations that allegedly profit from Israel's offensive in Gaza.
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Gary Kinsman, one of the founding members of the Lesbian and Gay Day Pride Parade – the organization that eventually became Pride Toronto – resigned in 2024 over that issue and what he called the organization's refusal to hear the demands of the group Queers in Palestine.
Founded in 1981, the Lesbian and Gay Day Pride Parade was a grassroots picnic and political march formed in response to increasing right-wing opposition to the LGBTQ+ community and a series of violent raids by Toronto police at bathhouses in the city. The first event involved a march down a much shorter strip of Yonge Street in front of the police detachment that organized the raids.
Kinsman said the grassroots spirit of the festival continued throughout the 1980s, but a turning point came in the '90s when organizers started looking to involve corporate sponsors, which prompted early signs of division that came decades later.
'This begins to change its (Pride) character fundamentally. It moves quite sharply from being a community-based organization to becoming an organization not defined by communities but by alliances with corporate forms of organization,' Kinsman said in an interview.
Pride Toronto did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
For Beverly Bain, who along with Kinsman co-founded a group called No Pride in Policing, the growing calls to break Pride Toronto's ties with corporate sponsors is long overdue.
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'Pride Toronto, as it exists today, is a corporate pinkwashing Pride. I do not think it's an organization that should be continuing to exist,' Bain said.
Pride Toronto hasn't adequately highlighted issues that disproportionately affect the LGBTQ+ community, such as poor access to housing, mental health struggles and increased substance use, Bain said.
'We go back to the political roots of Pride … a political struggle for the liberation of queer and trans and non-binary and those who are racialized and those who are Indigenous and two-spirited and Indigenous and queer.'
Monica Forrester, executive director of Trans Pride Toronto, said she started attending the Pride festival in 1998, when it was still very much a protest organized by local shops, bars and community centres.
1:51
Thousands take to city streets in Toronto's Annual Dyke Rally and March
'We were still in a time of the bath house raids … and the transphobia and violence that a lot of queer people were facing, not only by people, but by systemic violence. It was really a time where we stood up to show our visibility, that we were here, we were queer and we weren't going anywhere,' Forrester said.
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But that changed over time, with corporate sponsors appearing to be at the forefront of Pride events, Forrester said. The fact that some of them have pulled support for the festival is 'a testament that they were never really our allies,' she added.
Faisal Ibrahim, a spokesperson for the Coalition Against Pinkwashing, said it would be a 'bare minimum' for Pride Toronto to cut ties with sponsors who financially benefit from Israel's war efforts in Gaza, and agrees with Forrester that a heavy corporate presence can detract from the overall message of Pride.
Looking back, Amarshi said it was 'incredibly short-sighted' to bring corporate sponsors into what she said has been a vital institution in advocating for queer rights.
'If Pride doesn't find a way to manoeuvre and be accountable to the community and continue to be in a position where the community feels it legitimately represents them, the community will find its own voice and will find its own path forward.' Amarshi said.
'It's never needed scale. It's needed to be loud and it's needed to be brave. That's what started Pride and that certainly hasn't gone away.'
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Keheewin residents say surplus school site housing project concerns going unheard
Keheewin residents say surplus school site housing project concerns going unheard

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  • Global News

Keheewin residents say surplus school site housing project concerns going unheard

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Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Five years ago at a city hall public hearing, residents expressed concerns over safety, congestion and the project being set about 30 metres away from the elementary school. 'When the project was rezoned in January of 2020, we had over a hundred people speak to council about the concerns: safety for our children, traffic and the parking, the drop-off zone and just the scope of the project of adding 400 to 500 people on a fairly small site.' The same concerns from five years ago continue to exist today, Olsen said. He still believes the project is too large and too close to the school. He also worries there will not be enough parking on the site, resulting in more street congestion surrounding the development. 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Buzz on the Bullboards: There must be more to life than having everything
Buzz on the Bullboards: There must be more to life than having everything

The Market Online

time2 hours ago

  • The Market Online

Buzz on the Bullboards: There must be more to life than having everything

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CIB commits $24M to renewable energy project in remote First Nation community in Northern Quebec Français
CIB commits $24M to renewable energy project in remote First Nation community in Northern Quebec Français

Cision Canada

time4 hours ago

  • Cision Canada

CIB commits $24M to renewable energy project in remote First Nation community in Northern Quebec Français

Biomass cogeneration facility to replace diesel energy source and create jobs Disponible en français 4.8-megawatt biomass plant will ensure long-term energy security and foster economic development for the Atikamekw of Opitciwan community Facility will cut use of 4.6 million litres of diesel annually and prevent frequent power outages Will support 40 jobs during construction and 15 direct and indirect full-time jobs during operations OPITCIWAN, QC, July 24, 2025 /CNW/ - The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has closed a $24-million loan to support the Atikamekw of Opitciwan, a remote First Nation community in Northern Quebec, in its energy transition aimed at significantly reducing diesel as its primary energy source. Onimiskiw Opitciwan Limited Partnership will construct and operate the 4.8-megawatt Centrale de cogénération d'Opitciwan. The facility will generate electricity by burning bark, sawdust and woodchips produced by an adjacent sawmill. Additionally, steam from the new energy plant will power a new wood kiln at the sawmill. The project will bring significant health and environmental benefits for the community of 2,500 members by reducing nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions from the current diesel-based energy generation. The sustainable energy initiative will cut more than 11,000 tonnes of emissions and reduce the use of diesel by 4.6 million litres annually. The project, along with the CIB's investment, could serve as a model to support other Indigenous communities in Quebec and across Canada by reducing their reliance on diesel as their primary energy source, through the integration of renewable sources. The new power plant will support 40 jobs during construction and 15 direct and indirect full-time jobs during operations. The facility is designed to accommodate community growth, including the capacity to support future housing development. The Centrale de cogénération d'Opitciwan, along with a new substation and battery energy storage system built by Hydro-Quebec, will significantly improve the stability of community's independent electrical network, which currently experiences frequent power outages. Endorsements The CIB is pleased to support the Atikamekw of Opitciwan First Nation in the development of this cogeneration plant which will supply the community with a reliable, secure energy source, along with additional economic opportunities. Financing from the CIB's Indigenous Community Infrastructure Initiative will eliminate diesel as the community's primary energy source. Cleaner energy options are needed in many remote Indigenous communities and the CIB is proud of the work we are doing to support these projects across Canada. Ehre n Cory, CEO, Canada Infrastructure Bank Investments like these—that support our communities, build energy independence, and create good-paying jobs—are driving Indigenous-led infrastructure projects across the country. The Canada Infrastructure Bank's $24 million investment in the Atikamekw of Opitciwan's biomass cogeneration facility is good news for our riding and a testament to the country we're building together with all our partners. Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, on behalf of the Hon. Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada Remote Indigenous communities face unique barriers that require tailored solutions. The Atikamekw of Opitciwan project is a vital step forward, providing support not only to the Opitciwan community but also serving as a model to empower Indigenous communities across the country. I want to congratulate Chief Jean-Claude Mequish for this project and thank him for his leadership. Hon. Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services The biomass cogeneration plant is an innovative project for Opitciwan. By using local and renewable resources, we can not only produce clean energy, but also stimulate our local economy and ensure energy security for our members. This project is an example of what we can achieve when we work together for a greener, more prosperous future. Mikwetc to the CIB for their support. Chief Jean-Claude Mequish, Council of the Atikamekw First Nation The biomass cogeneration project represents a major step forward for our community. Not only will it enable us to reduce our dependence on diesel, it will also create jobs and improve our quality of life. We are grateful to the CIB for its support and commitment to the development of our energy infrastructure. , President, Onimiskiw Opitciwan Limited Partnership

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