• Stouffville ushered in Pride and Indigenous History Month with a well-attended flag raising ceremony at the Leisure Centre this afternoon.
  • Memorial Park’s community flagpole will fly the Pride Flag and Indigenous Flag throughout the month of June.
  • Mayor Lovatt, Councillor Sherban, YRP, Town, and Emergency Services staff, representatives from York Pride, and members of the Stouffville’s Indigenous Action Committee and Diversity and Inclusion Working Group joined together for the event.
  • Student representatives from Stouffville District Secondary, Barbara Reed, and Wendat Village Public Schools were also in attendance.
  • Along with other Town officials, Mayor Lovatt will represent Stouffville at this year’s York Pride Parade, which begins at 3 p.m. on June 15 along Newmarket’s Main Street.

 

“The month of June is recognized as Pride Month and National Indigenous History Month, and I am proud that we are working together to continue to remove barriers and provide equitable experiences for our residents with a shared vision of a town that is unified and welcoming to all,” Mayor Lovatt stated in his opening remarks.

“We are listening and learning from you on how we can continue to make our community more inclusive,” the Mayor added. “We join you today in advocating for a world where people feel safe, included, and celebrated.”

“What we really want to do is work to break down barriers in our community and make sure that everybody’s supported,” York Pride Director of Operations Jacob Gal explained following Lovatt’s comments. He encouraged those in the audience to continue their allyship, share resources, and tackle disinformation.

“By everybody attending here, we raise the flag. For youth that are just coming out and trying to understand the journey of gender, orientation, and sex, this stands as a symbol for them,” Gal emphasized. “They have a municipality that supports them…there are people who care about them, and they matter.”

Mayor Lovatt concluded the event with a focus on learning from and celebrating First Nations peoples across Canada, noting that the month marks “an opportunity to honour the resilience, experiences, and traditions of Indigenous peoples.”

“We will move forward respectfully and in support of [their] unique cultures, stories and achievements,” Lovatt promised. “And we are honoured and truly privileged to be here today with all of you to raise these two flags in our community.”