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‘Misunderstanding’ blamed for last-minute cancellation of Montreal Pride parade

Published

2 years ago

October 5, 2022

MONTREAL — Communication problems and a misunderstanding were at the heart of the decision to cancel this year’s Montreal’s Pride parade hours before it was scheduled to begin, according to a newly released report.

Report author Philippe Schnobb, the former head of Montreal’s public transit agency, found that the cancellation of the Aug. 7 event was announced hastily without the approval of the organization’s executive director or board of directors.

“I conclude that the parade was cancelled because of a misunderstanding, after a series of chaotic exchanges, caused by communication problems accentuated by a reaction that was too fast by certain key people … and a reaction that was too slow on the part of certain others,” he wrote.

Schnobb is a board member of Fondation Émergence, a non-profit that advocates for the LGBTQ community and that runs the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. He was tasked by Montreal Pride to investigate after the parade was cancelled and to write a report and make recommendations.

A timeline of events in his report shows that unnamed staff members realized at around 7:45 a.m. on Aug. 7 that someone had forgotten to hire some 96 security staff needed for the parade later that day. A “misunderstanding,” he said, led to some people being told just after 8 a.m. that the event was cancelled — before the executive director of Pride Montreal could arrive on-site to make an official decision.

“I conclude that certain misunderstood and invalid information transmitted externally led to the cancellation of the parade without anyone in authority having formally made the decision,” the report read.

By the time the executive director arrived, the volunteers had already been dismissed, police had reopened the streets and news of the cancellation had been announced in the media, giving him no choice but to announce what was already a “fait accompli,” the report noted.

Organizers announced the cancellation at around 9 a.m. on Aug. 7, citing security concerns stemming from a lack of volunteers for the event.

The annual celebration of LGBTQ culture had been expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators and 12,000 participants. The abrupt cancellation shocked the public and Montreal’s mayor, who told reporters at the time that the city would have stepped in to help carry out the event that morning had officials been made aware of the staffing problems.

Montreal Pride initially stated that the decision to cancel the parade was made with the support of city police, but organizers were forced to correct themselves after police stated that they had only been informed after the fact.

Schnobb noted that Montreal Pride was understaffed and that key people were overworked leading up to the event, which he said may have contributed to the errors and the failure to hire security. While the event was slightly short of volunteers, he said the parade could have taken place had the staff been hired.

He also noted that the security positions were supposed to be filled by a mix of paid workers and volunteers who hold the same title, which led to confusion surrounding their recruitment. Schnobb also expressed concern with the structure of Pride Montreal, and he questioned whether the group — in its current form — can properly execute a major event.

He noted that from 2007 to 2022, the organization’s budget has grown from $140,000 to more than $5 million, without any significant changes in governance. Schnobb recommended that Montreal Pride create an emergency plan with clear steps to follow when problems arise; clarify the roles and responsibilities within the organization; and work with a governance expert to overhaul its structure.

Pride Montreal’s executive director said in a statement that the organization was committed to regaining the trust of the public and the community it serves. “My team and I will continue the work of consolidation in order to ensure the development and smooth running of all the activities of the Montreal Pride Festival — including, first and foremost, the flagship event that is the Pride parade,” Simon Gamache said.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante welcomed the report and praised Pride Montreal for collaborating in the investigation and for proactively making changes to ensure the future success of one of the city’s biggest events.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2022.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press

News

Langford, Heim lead Rangers to wild 13-8 win over Blue Jays

Published

3 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rookie Wyatt Langford homered, doubled twice and became the first Texas player this season to reach base five times, struggling Jonah Heim delivered a two-run single to break a sixth-inning tie and the Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 13-8 on Tuesday night.

Leody Taveras also had a homer among his three hits for the Rangers.

Langford, who also walked twice, has 12 homers and 25 doubles this season. He is hitting .345 in September.

“I think it’s really important to finish on a strong note,” Langford said. “I’m just going to keep trying to do that.”

Heim was 1-for-34 in September before he lined a single to right field off Tommy Nance (0-2) to score Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe, giving Texas a 9-7 lead. Heim went to the plate hitting .212 with 53 RBIs after being voted an All-Star starter last season with a career-best 95 RBIs. He added a double in the eighth ahead of Taveras’ homer during a three-run inning.

Texas had 13 hits and left 13 men on. It was the Rangers’ highest-scoring game since a 15-8 win at Oakland on May 7.

Matt Festa (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, giving him a 5-0 record in 13 appearances with the Rangers after being granted free agency by the New York Mets on July 7.

Nathan Eovaldi, a star of Texas’ 2023 run to the franchise’s first World Series championship, had his worst start of the year in what could have been his final home start with the Rangers. Eovaldi, who will be a free agent next season, allowed 11 hits (the most of his two seasons with Texas) and seven runs (tied for the most).

“I felt like early in the game they just had a few hits that found the holes, a few first-pitch base hits,” said Eovaldi, who is vested for a $20 million player option with Texas for 2025. “I think at the end of the day I just need to do a better job of executing my pitches.”

Eovaldi took a 7-3 lead into the fifth inning after the Rangers scored five unearned runs in the fourth. The Jays then scored four runs to knock out Eovaldi after 4 2/3 innings.

Six of the seven runs scored against Toronto starter Chris Bassitt in 3 2/3 innings were unearned. Bassitt had a throwing error during Texas’ two-run third inning.

“We didn’t help ourselves defensively, taking care of the ball to secure some outs,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a double and two singles, his most hits in a game since having four on Sept. 3. Guerrero is hitting .384 since the All-Star break.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette (calf) was activated and played for the first time since July 19, going 2 for 5 with an RBI. … OF Daulton Varsho (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list and will have rotator cuff surgery … INF Will Wagner (knee inflammation) was placed on the 60-day list.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Chad Bradford (5-3, 3.97 ERA) will pitch Wednesday night’s game on extended five days’ rest after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and home runs (three) in 3 2/3 innings losing at Arizona on Sept. 14.

Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (8-4, 3.50) has had two no-hitters get away in the ninth inning this season, including in his previous start against the New York Mets on Sept. 11. Francis is the first major-leaguer to have that happen since Rangers Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in 1989.

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Billie Jean King set to earn another honor with the Congressional Gold Medal

Published

4 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had passed the House of Representatives and would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The bill to honor King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist, had already passed unanimously in the Senate.

Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”

The bill was introduced last September on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” still the most-watched tennis match of all-time. The medal, awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society, has previously been given to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.

King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says she has “broken barriers, led uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”

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Account tweaks for young Instagram users ‘minimum’ expected by B.C., David Eby says

Published

4 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

SURREY, B.C. – Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the “minimum” expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.

The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.

Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for “significant potential damages” if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.

Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was “horrific and totally preventable.”

He says social media apps are “nothing special,” and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it’s an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.

In a progress report released Tuesday about the province’s engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a “trusted flagger” option to quickly remove intimate images.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

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