Council has declared the month of June as LGBTQ2+ Pride Month for the Municipality of North Grenville. In previous years, the flags are flown at the Municipal Centre beginning June 1.
Out of respect to the tragic discovery of the undocumented graves of 215 children found at a at the Kamloops Residential School, North Grenville flags have been lowered to half-mast to honour the lives of these children. Flags will remain lowered for 215 hours (9 days) to represent one hour for each child. As such, the Pride flags will be raised after this period of mourning.
“Council is highly encouraged by the ongoing efforts of our local Pride community. We embrace the diversity that has always been part of North Grenville, but wasn’t always recognized or celebrated,” said Mayor Nancy Peckford.
“While we have come a long way as a society, there are still many obstacles for members of the LGBTQ2 community. We need to be focused in our efforts to ensure that mental health and peer supports are widely available”, added Mayor Peckford.
That is why North Grenville is so excited by the existence of Kemptville Pride, a local not-for-profit community organization established to plan, fund, and organize Pride activities in the Kemptville area and to support LGBTQ2+ people and their families.
“Everyone benefits when we build a more inclusive and open-hearted community,” added Councillor Kristin Strackerjan.
“Although we cannot come together and celebrate with a Pride Parade right now, we are planning several virtual events for the community to participate in,” said Jen Crawford, Kemptville Pride’s first Executive Director.
“I encourage everyone to visit our Facebook page to get all the details”, Ms. Crawford added.
Kemptville Pride states on their page, “As Pride Month begins, Kemptville Pride would like to take pause to acknowledge the tragic, heartbreaking and unfathomable finding of 215 students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.”
Kemptville Pride stands in solidarity with Indigenous communities and will remain committed to building safer and more inclusive communities for all.”
Kemptville held its first Pride Parade in 2019. Last year, the parade was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the committee held virtual events and a home decorating contest.
Visit their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/kemptvillepride.
