Foundation urges allies to show up for LGBTQ+ people to counter intolerance
Pride flags fly above Le Saloon Bistro Bar in the Village in Montreal, pictured on the night of Aug. 9, 2023. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)
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CTV News
17 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘We are not just activists, we're warriors': Pride festivities kick off in Waterloo, Ont.
Waterloo marked the start of Pride Month with a community event celebrating inclusivity. CTV's Karis Mapp has more. People were encouraged to show their true colours under a beautiful, blue sky as a special event kicked off Pride Month festivities in Waterloo. Celebrants gathered in Waterloo Public Square, which was transformed into a dancefloor and vendor market on Wednesday morning. The event was hosted by the City of Waterloo and Uptown Business Improvement Area (BIA). 'We're very excited, as the City of Waterloo, to be celebrating Pride,' Divya Handa, the city's director of reconciliation, equity, accessibility, diversity and inclusion, told CTV News. 'The last few years have been a little bit difficult for our Rainbow community, but we want to show that we are not taking a step back,' Handa said. 'We are not stopping this journey. We are not pausing. We're not considering pausing. We're here for full support.' For some members of the community, those tough times are vivid memories. Jim Parrott, co-facilitator of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and the former executive director of Spectrum, recounts what it was like when he first met his husband back in 2000. The couple persevered through a time when homosexuality was not widely accepted and they became the first same sex couple to legally be married in Waterloo. 'We're not just activists, we're warriors,' Parrott said. 'We have been walking hand-in-hand in public for 25 years. We do get yelled at, but we think it's important to be transparent and to be visible. And we do that because so many people are not able to do that.' Although Wednesday's celebration was all about inclusivity and support, Parrot worried the future may be more uncertain. 'It's wonderful to see all these things happen. But at the same time, I still worry that things might go backwards,' he said. 'It's wonderful to see that we've got the support of the cities and other institutions. So, I'm very happy but also a little bit nervous.' Part of his apprehension stems from divisive attitudes across the border. 'A few years ago, things seemed to be improving. We started to see more and more legislation passed at this phase, but unfortunately, about 6 or 7 years ago, we started seeing things get worse,' Parrott reflected. 'That to some extent was correlated with the rise of Donald Trump in the United States, unfortunately, [we] saw a lot of problems. And the people who are most seriously impacted are trans folks.' Numerous events will be held throughout June to recognize Pride Month in Waterloo Region.
CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
Risk of rain on Thursday as hazy skies clear in Ottawa
The view of Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River from Kìwekì Point. (CTV News Ottawa) A cold front passing through the region has cleared out the hazy weather conditions Ottawa has seen over the past two days, and there is a threat of rain through the day. Environment Canada's forecast calls for a mainly cloudy day on Thursday with a 60 per cent chance of showers and the risk of a thunderstorm. High 23 C, with the humidex making it feel like 27. It will be partly cloudy tonight with a 30 per cent chance of showers. Low 12. Sunshine is in the forecast for Friday. High 26 C, with the humidex making it feel like 29. Saturday will see a mix of sun and cloud with a 30 per cent chance of showers. High 23 C. The outlook for Sunday calls for a mix of sun and cloud. High 25 C. Monday will be mainly cloudy with 60 per cent chance of showers. High 25 C. The normal temperatures for this time of year is a high of 23 C and a low of 12 C. Air quality Ottawa's air quality has improved today, after two days of smoky, hazy conditions due to wildfire smoke from the Prairies. The air quality will be a '3-Low Risk' today, tonight and on Friday. According to smoke from the wildfires will continue to linger over Ottawa over the next two days. First 30 C day Wednesday was the first time Ottawa hit 30 C in 2025. The temperature warmed up to 30.4 C, the warmest day so far this year. In 2024, the first 30 C day was on May 22. Ottawa had five 30 C days in June last year.
CBC
39 minutes ago
- CBC
'There's a lot I wish I would have taken': Denare Beach residents in shock after wildfire
When Rebecca McCrimmon evacuated with her family from Denare Beach last week, it was out of concern that access to the northeast Saskatchewan community, not far from the Manitoba border, would be cut off by the Club fire burning to the north. She packed some clothes and mementoes, thinking she would be able to return home after the danger passed. But then on Monday, the Wolf fire suddenly moved in from the west. She watched via a video feed as the flames went down the street in front of her house. Then the feed went dark. McCrimmon thought about the things she hadn't packed. "There's a lot I wish I would have taken," she said in an interview on Wednesday, her voice trailing off. "Like my daughter's footprints from the hospital, her hospital hat and her first haircut, different things like that." McCrimmon, her husband and their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter are staying with family in Gimli, Man. McCrimmon said she's grateful for a family friend who is in the community and has been documenting the states of the properties to share with the residents, as it was "very hard" when they didn't know if their home had been lost. 'I feel so lost': Denare Beach resident sad and angry after losing home to wildfire 42 minutes ago Duration 0:46 The Wolf fire destroyed a large swath of Denare Beach, near the Manitoba border, on Monday. Gracie Dareichuk said she's had a "whirlwind of emotions" after seeing the destruction. Gracie Dareichuk is also dealing with the news that her home burned to the ground. Like McCrimmon, she wasn't too worried until the winds changed on Monday and the Wolf fire made its run toward the community. She watched the photos and videos posted from neighbours' cameras with growing alarm — and with an enormous feeling of helplessness. "We could just see the fire blazing up. It was tragic, like a terrible sight to see," Dareichuk said in an interview. "It felt almost like torture, like you were just sitting there, forced to watch your house burn." The 21-year-old nursing student has been staying with relatives in eastern Saskatchewan as well as in a camper. While she's grateful to have family support, Dareichuk doesn't want to burden them by staying for weeks on end. "I feel so lost," she said. "I keep saying, I just want to go back home, but I know I can't go back home because I don't have a home now." The Denare Beach reserve, located just south of the resort village, was also hit by the fire. Easter Dubinak, who lives on the reserve, says all but 10 homes there were lost. "My parents' home burned down … and all of my mother's possessions were in our home," Dubinak said. "We lost her 15 years ago to breast cancer and it feels like I've lost her all over again. I'm so devastated." Dubinak said the reserve being small makes it an especially tight-knit community. "We always came together to help one another," she said. "When a member passed we all mourned for that member like they were family, that's how close we were." Residents of Denare Beach are among the estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people people displaced from 34 communities in Saskatchewan due to the wildfires, according to Wednesday's briefing from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. The estimated number of "values" lost — including homes, cabins, infrastructure and vehicles — is more than 400, said SPSA vice-president of operations Steve Roberts. There were 24 active fires in the province as of Wednesday afternoon, with only five of them classified as contained. La Ronge is one of the communities with displaced residents nervously waiting for news about any losses, after the Pisew fire moved in from the north. Two businesses, Robertson Trading and Rona, burned in the town on Tuesday evening and all but the most essential personnel have been told to leave. Denare Beach so far has been the "largest single area of impact" in terms of values lost, Roberts said. WATCH | Evacuees concerned as wildfire conditions in northern Sask. worsen: Evacuees concerned as wildfire conditions in northern Sask. worsen 10 hours ago Duration 2:01 Lack of rain is offering no help to northern Saskatchewan as crews struggle to contain more than 20 active wildfires. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says more than 400 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far. Interactive Sask. active fire map. Fire danger map. Fire bans. Environment and Climate Change Canada weather alerts. Sask. Highway Hotline. Smoke forecast. Air quality. Tracking wildfires across Canada.
