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Pride Flag now flying at NOTL Town Hall

All twelve Niagara municipalities are flying the Pride Flag for the month of June, which kicked off Saturday at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines
Sharon Burns

Kyle Miller, a volunteer at Pride Niagara, was on hand at NOTL’s town hall today to help Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa and interim CAO Bruce Zvaniga raise the Pride Flag.

“All twelve municipalities, for the thirteenth year in a row, are raising the Pride Flag today,” said Miller. “It’s a great sign of support for what Pride Niagara is doing.”

Representatives from Meridian Credit Union, sponsor of the flag raising, were also on hand.

Pride Niagara kicked off Pride Month “on Saturday at the Meridian Center in St. Catharines, which basically kicks off a week of festivities in the region,” Miller said. The Niagara Unity Awards, sponsored by TD Bank, will be presented Wednesday at Club Roma. These awards celebrate Niagara’s sexual and gender diverse community and its supporters.

The 11th annual Pride in the Park “is a great way that the community comes together,” said Miller. At Montebello Park in St. Catharines, the all day event will feature “local drag performers and other queer artists, as well as vendors throughout the park.”  Musical acts, family friendly activities, food and merchandise vendors, and a licensed area will be provided. The event runs from 12 pm until 10:30 pm

“Pride Niagara is the main organization in the region that provides this activity,” said Miller. “A lot of hard work goes into it, lots of volunteers come together to put on all these fantastic events.”

Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa acknowledged that, as a municipality, “we're happy to be a partner.”

To a small crowd gathered at the base of the flagpole, Miller said that “Pride month, in general, really shows us the power of community and how we bring each other together and what we can accomplish.” The flag raising “sends not only a message to the individuals who live here, but those elsewhere that this region is an accepting place, not only for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, but for everyone who can come here and be themselves.”

“Stay current by following us on Instagram and Facebook at Pride Niagara,” Miller suggested.