Edmonton celebrates Pride month with summer-long celebrations
The City of Edmonton is holding its largest ever Pride celebration this year.
Friday, the Summer of Pride officially began with several events at different venues in the city.
There are more than 80 Pride events planned across 39 venues in the city throughout June, July and August. Included are a Pride Day at K-Days in July, the Edmonton Pride Festival in August and the first-ever Edmonton Drag Festival on June 17.
"One of the coolest things about Edmonton this year is that there's a whole summer of Pride," said Joshua Wolchansky of the Fruit Loop Society of Alberta.
Having so many events, organized by more than 40 LGBTQ2S+ organizations and allies, ensures there is a Pride event for everyone, he added.
"It's not just one big tent and everyone needs to fit into that Pride, there's a lot of different producers who are bringing something very unique and very special to the ecosystem," Wolchansky said. "You get a more diverse representation of what Pride is."
More information on the Summer of Pride can be found on the Fruit Loop Society webpage or at PrideEdmonton.ca.
The first week of June is also Pride Week at Edmonton Public Schools.
At D.S. MacKenzie School in south Edmonton, around 300 students spent the day outdoors at a Pride celebration featuring games, an ice cream truck and a photo booth.
The school has been celebrating Pride the past two years, and teacher Katie Griffith said the events help LGBTQ2S+ students feel valued while giving other kids the chance to help build community and create safe spaces for their friends.
"They really just get to be themselves and showcase who they are and just feel that love and acceptance, before they might not have had that," Griffith said. "So these kinds of days are just so important to keep that allyship up all year."
Grade 9 student Rorie Vanderzyde is a member of the Gay-Straight Alliance at D.S. MacKenzie. Vanderzyde said Pride celebrations are for all students and show the school's commitment to making kids feel safe regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
"This day is important because we just want to celebrate everyone, queer, allies, questioning," Vanderzyde added. "It's a day to celebrate inclusivity and diversity."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.