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Organizers of Pride festivals are calling on the Ontario government to establish a dedicated fund that would support the events as costs continue to rise.
Weeks before Pride events are set to begin, organizers say they would like to see the province supply $1.5 million a year over three years for a total of $4.5 million under what they would call the Pride Festival Support Fund.
The money would be administered by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, organizers said.
“This is a very modest ask. It’s a smart ask and it’s an urgent ask,” Callie Metler, executive director of Capital Pride in Ottawa, told the press on Tuesday at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
Kojo Modeste, executive director of Pride Toronto, said at the news conference that the fund would help to strengthen the provincial economy given the spinoffs of Pride festivals across Ontario.
Businesses in Toronto’s Gay Village earn more than 50 per cent of their annual income during Pride month during June, Modeste added, while costs to run events keep growing.
All businesses in and around the area rely on Pride Month, according to Jaret Sereda, executive director of the Church-Wellesley Village BIA.
“We had a horrible winter and Torontonians tend to stay in when it’s cold. Foot traffic was certainly down,” Sereda said. “They are counting their days until Pride and to celebrate. That is our New Year’s Eve for the village.”
At Understory, a relatively new trans-owned cafe and wine bar in Toronto, the festival could make a difference to the bottom line.
According to Metler, corporate sponsorship has historically funded the majority of Pride operations but that revenue stream declined in the last two years as companies pull back from their diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.
Without more provincial funding, Pride events will shrink and in some cases may not even happen, Metler said.
In March, Pride organizations from across Canada went to Parliament Hill to ask the federal government for $9 million over three years, or $3 million annually, to help 200 festivals maintain their operations. The representatives included organizers for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver Pride festivals.
