Montreal Pride Parade organizers cancel event, people still come out to celebrate
Posted August 7, 2022 7:00 am.
Last Updated August 7, 2022 12:25 pm.
Pride Montreal says the city’s iconic parade that closes the festival’s celebration of LGBTQ+ communities has been cancelled due to a lack of staff.
Festival Executive Director Simon Gamache says the event scheduled for today was called off over “security reasons.”
Despite the cancellation, Montrealers took to the streets and celebrated the final day of Pride Week in their own way.
In photos: Montrealers celebrate Pride Week despite parade cancellation
Pride Montreal issued a statement on Twitter, saying it made the decision with the support of city police because there were not enough volunteers to ensure safety along the parade route.
“A lack of sufficient personnel to ensure security along the route has forced the organizers to cancel the event in agreement with the SPVM,” said the Twitter statement.
In photos: Scenes from the 2021 Montreal Pride festival
Thousands of people were expected to march through the downtown core this afternoon.
Pride Montreal says other activities are still set to take place at the Olympic Park.
Montreal’s Pride Parade has been celebrating the progress of LGBTQ+ rights, diversity and inclusion for the last 40 years.
The 2019 event attracted more than 3.4 million visitors and held more than 250 activities around the city.
