RCMP investigating after 'transphobic, homophobic' material left in St. Albert playgrounds

Mounties are on the case of what appears to be a hate crime in St. Albert, after anti-LGBTQ2S+ literature was discovered in two schoolyards in the city just north of Edmonton.

Surveillance video captured two adults leaving posters and bookmarks in the playground of Joseph M. Demko School, St. Albert Public Schools confirmed to CTV News Edmonton.

"It was some transphobic, homophobic kinds of statements," spokesperson Paula Power said in a Thursday interview.

"Our reaction, pretty much across the board, was distress, anger, frustration."

Power said parents found the material on Monday morning and took it to school staff.

Similar material was also found on Tuesday in the playground of Muriel Martin School, not far away.

The material, and the video of the people leaving it, are now with police, Power said.

"It's very frustrating that this material was left in a playground. Instead of coming and dealing with the adults, they left this information on the playground which is pretty intentionally targetted toward children, in our eyes." 

'COWARDLY ACTS': ST. ALBERT MAYOR

The mayor of St. Albert said she was "embarrassed" that someone in her city did that and, on Twitter, called them "cowardly acts."

"There's a time for protesting and a place for protesting but never, in capital letters, should it happen at a school!" Cathy Heron told CTV News Edmonton.

"It's a delicate age, for a kid in elementary, if they are questioning their gender identity. And they need absolutely, 100 per cent, need to feel safe to talk to their teachers, to talk to their parents, to talk to their counsellors or anyone."

The material in St. Albert was found during Pride month and on the same day that a city council meeting in Leduc, south of Edmonton, was paused amid homophobic and transphobic rants from two members of the public.

Police in that city are also investigating after tire marks were left on a Pride crosswalk.

'IT’S PRETTY TROUBLING'

NDP MLA Janis Irwin is speaking out about what she believes is a rise in hate incidents, encouraging other Albertans to also "get loud" in their support of Pride.

"I don’t think any of us can stand by and let this continue," she said Thursday.

“It’s pretty troubling to think that it would be an acceptable step for anyone, let alone an adult, to be spreading such hateful material and I hope they take the time to reflect.”

Heron agrees with Irwin.

She said St. Albert is a "welcoming and inclusive" community but feels the people who support that are being drowned out by a small, but vocal, minority who are spreading hate.

"I think the silent majority needs to stop being silent. They gotta speak up because I'm quite frankly fed up with the homophobic stuff that has happened this June," the mayor said.

"It's been a really hard June for Pride. And I'm so proud of the people who are standing up and fighting back but we need more of that."

Power said the school division will continue to celebrate Pride and anyone who has concerns about that is welcome to speak to school officials.

But not everyone is comfortable with Pride in elementary schools, including Sean Shymka, a St. Albert dad who took his two kids to play at Muriel Martin School Thursday.

"I just feel like the kids are too young right now to be learning about a lot of this stuff and it gets pushed in the school system," he told CTV News Edmonton.

"I just don't think that it should be pushed on the kids. Right, like they're learning about it and stuff like that and I think it's being normalized too much. So I don't really agree with that either. I don't agree with the discrimination but I don't think it should be pushed on the kids either."

Officials with St. Albert RCMP said the incidents are under investigation and more information will be released if arrests are made.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach and Brittany Ekelund