Since our last newsletter, there have been quite a few additions to our board of directors.

Beverly Belanger has been named President of PFLAG Canada and Donny Potts has stepped into the role of Vice President. Bev and Donny have been longtime board members and their experience and passion will no doubt prove beneficial to the organization.

We have also added three brand new members to the board. Louis Duncan-He will step in as the Marketing Director. Louis is based out of Calgary and has been working hard to put together a new website for PFLAG Canada. Priya Paul has taken on the role of treasurer. Living in Toronto, she has a background in accounting and financial reporting and is excited to be the newest member to join the board. And Steven Keddy has taken on the role of Communications Director. Steven has a background in journalism but has redirected his career to study Community Work in Toronto.

After eight years of holding our event, Gay Day, at Canada’s Wonderland, we are saddened to inform you that PFLAG Canada will no longer hold our event at the theme park. Our decision comes after an incident last month at our annual Gay Day, where two men, who were enjoying the day together as a couple, were approached by two park staff and asked to stop hugging. They were told that Wonderland is a “family” park and that they should monitor their behaviour. PFLAG Canada is very disappointed and appalled that this couple were made to feel unwelcome and unsafe at our event on a day that was supposed to be a celebration of who they are.

Gay Day is meant to be a day for our LGBTQ family and friends to feel accepted and included. We are also disappointed in the response received by Canada’s Wonderland, who have still not responded to us directly and have ignored our offer to come in and provide free diversity training to the staff at Wonderland. Our decision to cancel Gay Day was not an impulsive decision. PFLAG Canada’s board of directors met and discussed this at length. We felt that no answer was indeed a very strong answer.

Our decision to cancel Gay Day was not an impulsive decision. PFLAG Canada’s board of directors met and discussed this at length. We felt that no answer was indeed a very strong answer. Although we do appreciate the apology the couple received from Wonderland’s GM by email, we felt like it was a corporate apology with no true intent on embracing diversity and the LGBTQ community.