Letter from the Board of Directors, Executive Director

As the new executive director, and on behalf of the of Halifax Pride board of directors, we want to acknowledge and apologize for the pain Halifax Pride has caused this community. The board regrets their actions and inactions leading up to and during the 2016 Annual General Meeting. Our decision-making process was flawed and allowed for a meeting full of racism, misogyny, and hate.

Halifax Pride failed to protect the community. The board holds no one but themselves responsible. We acknowledge that the boycott is a direct result of our failure. We are committed to working with the community to address the harm we caused and to learning from this experience.

We want to state the following:

1. Halifax Pride did not provide a safe space to meet and discuss the issues impacting our community prior to or at the AGM.
2. Halifax Pride will develop a formal Anti-Discrimination Policy with our community.
3. Halifax Pride will review and revise Society membership criteria with our community.
4. Halifax Pride commits new funding and resources for use by our QBIPOC and trans communities to develop events.

As individuals working on behalf of Halifax Pride and as concerned community members, we are committed to finding ways to begin healing and building a Festival and a Society of which we can all be proud.

Sincerely,

The Halifax Pride board of directors and executive director, Adam Reid

HRP Reimagine 2017 Festival Participation

Halifax, NS ー Through collaboration and discussion with the Halifax Pride Society, Halifax Regional Police (HRP) has decided not to march in this year’s pride parade. HRP will explore alternative ways to engage with the LGBT2Q+ community during the 2017 Pride festival. 

“We feel that stepping away temporarily from the parade will best support the LGBT2Q+ community by helping to allow for meaningful discussion of this divisive issue,” says Chief Jean-Michel Blais. “After several months of discussion with Halifax Pride, we recognized that our participation in the parade may contribute to divisions in the LGBT2Q+ community which is contrary to our intent of building a strong and sustainable relationship.”

“The HRP is being sensitive to the needs of our community and listening to their concerns,” said Adam Reid, executive director of Halifax Pride. “We have discussions with all of our community partners about how they wish to participate in the festival, and we’re happy that HRP is committed to growing and strengthening our relationship.”

“To my knowledge, HRP is the first police service in Canada to take this community-minded approach to its pride participation,” says Reid. 

There is a debate in local and national LGBT2Q+ communities about the role of police in pride festivals. This is why we continue to consult with members of our local community and partners like HRP to create a festival in which everyone feels welcome.  

HRP’s participation in the 2017 Halifax Pride Festival will be shaped by input from the LGBT2Q+ community and HRP employees. Ideas being explored include a community barbecue and a public lecture. HRP will continue to provide traffic duty and ensure the security of those participating in and attending the pride parade.

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Note to media:

Adam Reid and Chief Jean-Michel Blais will be available for questions on Monday, February 6 at 2 p.m., HRP Headquarters, 1975 Gottingen Street.

Community Meeting Announcement

On Thursday, January 5th, Halifax Pride will host a community meeting at the Halifax North Memorial Public Library to discuss goals for the upcoming Fierté Canada Pride (FCP) Conference.

The Halifax Pride Society will host the FCP annual conference and AGM from February 16 to 19, 2017, at the Marriott Harbourfront Hotel. This annual conference is an opportunity for Pride organizations and organizers to network, participate in workshops, and share ideas from across Canada. This year, Halifax Pride is working to include the community in these conversations by offering a variety of accessible dialogues and seminars. 

The community meeting on January 5th will focus on gathering suggestions as to how this conference may be used to best serve the community, and ways for organizations and individuals to participate. 

The Halifax Pride conference committee has also invited groups and individuals to submit proposals for seminars, lectures, or panel discussions they would offer as part of this year’s conference. Tentative themes for discussion at the conference include “Prioritizing QTBIPOC people through spaces, funding, and leadership” and “Challenges facing Pride and the LGBT2Q+ Community”. 

The community meeting will offer potential seminar applicants information on what their participation might look like, but applicants are not required to attend the community meeting. For more information regarding proposal submission, please visit www.halifaxpride.com/fcp. 

Halifax Pride Community Meeting – FCP Conference Suggestions and Planning

Thursday, January 5th 

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Halifax North Memorial Public Library

2285 Gottingen Street

Snacks and light refreshments will be offered. The Halifax North Memorial Public Library is wheelchair accessible. 

For more information please contact Executive Director Adam Reid at adam@halifaxpride.com.

Call for Seminar Proposals

The Halifax Pride Society will host the Fierté Canada Pride (FCP) annual conference and AGM from February 16 to 19, 2017, at the Marriott Harbourfront Hotel in Halifax, NS.  This annual conference is an opportunity for Pride organizations and organizers to network, participate in workshops, and share ideas from across Canada. This year, Halifax Pride wants to ensure the inclusion of community members in these conversations by offering a variety of accessible dialogues and seminars. 

The Halifax Pride conference committee is inviting groups and individuals to submit proposals for seminars, lectures, or panel discussions they would offer as part of this year’s conference. Tentative themes for discussion at the conference include “Prioritizing QTBIPOC people through spaces, funding, and leadership” and “Challenges facing Pride and the LGBT2Q+ Community”.

Proposal submissions should include:

• Session title
• A 50-75 word seminar description for all conference promotional materials
• Full description (approx. 300 words) based on criteria noted above
• Details about the author(s)/ presenter(s) – name(s), title(s), organizational affiliation(s), organizational website link/logo’s (if applicable), professional designation(s) and brief biographies. Please provide this as you would wish to have it appear in promotional materials.
• Contact information of applicant: name, e-mail address, phone number
• Any audio-visual requirements
• Any fees or costs to be covered

On Thursday, January 5th, Halifax Pride will host a community meeting at the Halifax North Public Memorial Library to discuss conference goals, how it may be used to best serve the community, and ways to participate. This community meeting will be open to the public and will offer potential seminar applicants further information on what their participation might look like. 

If any of the above sounds overwhelming, and/ or you need more information or help with completing a proposal, please reach out to Adam Reid at adam@halifaxpride.com. 

Deadline for submissions is Sunday, January 8th, 2017.

Submit proposals as one PDF or Word file with an email to Executive Director Adam Reid at adam@halifaxpride.com.