For the first time in its 10-year history, the Pride Festival in Timmins, Ontario, had to budget specifically for security in preparation for its 2023 lineup. Like other Pride events across Canada, this festival has to adapt due to the large number of online threats.
In previous years, the Timmins festival has never received any online threats. However, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has intensified on the internet recently, and the northern Ontario town of 40,000 has not been spared.
“Typically, it costs us $17,000 for our entire Pride week, because we’re small,” said Timmins Pride Treasurer Julie Nobert DeMarchi.
“But our security bill went up to $3,000. It is very different from what we are used to. »
Pride organizations across the country have faced a greater number of threats, as anti-LGBTQ+ protesters have mobilized to oppose events organized by this community, such as drag shows adapted to children.
Security during these events has therefore become a major issue for the organizers. And in some cases, for the very first time.
In Timmins, police were on hand for the parade, Ms.me Nobert DeMarchi, but organizers were unable to pay to have agents at another event earlier in the day. Pride Timmins hired a private security company.
A demonstrator also showed up at this event with a loudspeaker. Security guards and volunteers however trained what Mme Nobert DeMarchi described it as a “wall of love” to separate this person from the attendees. They also played music to drown out what the protester was saying.
“We had a security plan,” she said. We didn’t know how many people were going to show up to protest or what might happen, so we had to prepare for the worst. It makes things really difficult. »
Mme Nobert DeMarchi, who is also chair of the board of Pride Canada, the national umbrella organization of Pride organizations, said the organization conducted a survey of its members ahead of this year’s Pride season.
“All communities have noticed an increase in hate online, an increase in hateful messages and additional concerns about planning their events,” she said.
How these concerns were addressed varied from place to place. In some cases, external events have been moved indoors. In others, such as Timmins, organizers have paid for private security in addition to police presence.
A problem across the country
Further west, in Steinbach, Manitoba, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local police will be on hand for the parade.
“There’s so much negativity, so many cities and communities that have these big security issues,” said Steinbach Pride President Chris Plett. We were very nervous about how everything was going to turn out this year. »
Pride events in Steinbach have always been highly controversial, as the town of 17,000 people is located in a very religious area of Manitoba. The local LGBTQ+ community held its first march in 2016, despite much opposition. Elected officials, such as the mayor and MPs, have yet to show up, Plett noted.
To prepare for all possibilities, Mr Plett said organizers were setting up a system of “cadets” to help police.
“Our biggest goal is to make sure that those present do not realize how much safety and security has been amplified. We want them to be able to simply have fun and enjoy their day,” said the organizer.
Adding this level of security increases the workload for teams. In Toronto, the cost of policing for Pride events more than doubled, while the cost of private security increased by 25%. Insurance cost more than $300,000 this year, compared to $67,000 in 2022.
That’s part of what prompted the federal government to provide emergency funding to Pride organizations across the country to help pay their security bills.
Pride Canada has announced that $750,000 will be divided between events in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, while $600,000 will go to smaller cities and communities.