The Plante administration does not rule out “opening the books” of Montreal Pride and taking a closer look at the governance of the organization, in the wake of the surprise and strongly denounced cancellation of the parade last Sunday.
Posted at 11:05 a.m.
“We are all going to work quickly, efficiently, to find answers on what happened the same day, so in terms of logistics, communications, but also to go back and look at the level of the governance and, if necessary, open the books,” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante agreed Wednesday morning.
She recalled that “the City and the Government of Quebec are investing in this event, and that there are also many sponsors”.
According to our information, the $600,000 invested by the municipal administration in the Montréal Pride festivities was largely used by the organization, which nevertheless held several activities throughout the past week. Sources, however, indicated that a final installment was yet to be made. It corresponds to approximately 10% of this amount, or $60,000.
It is this last sum that should now be used to finance the independent investigation that has been launched in the last few days, as agreed by the CEO of Pride Montreal, Simon Gamache, the chairman of the board of directors, Moe Hamandi , and Mayor Plante, during a meeting held Monday evening. A mediator should also be appointed in the coming days.
At the provincial level, the Ministry of Tourism donated $1.1 million to Montreal Pride last year. Ministry spokeswoman Meghan Houle, however, says the aid “was dedicated to all of the programming, not specifically to the organization of the show.” The ministry “will meet with the promoters of the event over the next few days to discuss this situation,” she added.
“We must quickly and well restore the bond of trust between Pride Montreal, community organizations, partners and of course the population,” also hammered Wednesday Ms.me Plante, promising “there will be a parade next year.” “It was a big disappointment for all of us to see the challenge cancelled,” she reiterated.
“I would like to thank the board of directors, which is in full swing, which also wants to find answers and ensure the quality of the next fashion show,” she concluded.
In the last few days, the surprise cancellation of the metropolitan parade has been denounced by several members of the LGBTQ+ community, many of whom are calling for a review of the organization of this flagship event. Michel Dorion, well-known personality of the Gay Village and ex-responsible for the Montreal Pride parade, spoke in particular of a “serious fault” of the organization, calling for “serious reflection within the management team and also within the AC.
With Vincent Larin