Capital Pride still expecting thousands for annual parade despite controversy

Final preparations are underway for this year's Capital Pride parade which will look different than in years past.

"There will be a little bit of a felt difference in the size certainly, but we're still welcoming thousands of people to the street, just as we always do," said Callie Metler, Capital Pride's executive director. "Preparations are going to exactly the same scale and we're just so looking forward to Sunday kicking off at 1 p.m."

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The City of Ottawa, the mayor, local hospitals and Ottawa's largest school board are among several groups no longer marching in the parade. It comes after Capital Pride released a statement earlier this month in solidarity with Palestinians.

Metler says no sponsors have pulled their funding for the event.

"No, our sponsors are just as committed as they always have been to making sure this festival comes off without a hitch," Metler said.

Algonquin College is the most recent organization to withdraw from the parade.

"We are concerned that the inclusion, safety and wellbeing of individuals cannot be assured. In this atmosphere, the College cannot attend this year's Capital Pride parade and will not be participating in an official capacity," it wrote in a statement.

Carleton University is also out.

"The decision to not participate this year was not taken lightly and it should not be interpreted as taking a stance or position on a global issue – this is about supporting inclusivity and safety for our community," the university wrote in a statement.

• READ MORE: Here are the organizations withdrawing from the Capital Pride parade this year

This all comes as an open letter by the "Ottawa Healthcare Professionals for Palestine" dated Aug. 19 garners hundreds of signatures.

"We stand against the decisions of our institutional leaders," said Dr. Fahad Masud, an emergency medicine physician at CHEO and member of the group.

The letter says the decision not to participate causes further harm and calls for CHEO and the Ottawa Hospital to apologize

"Our institutional leaders saying that pride has been repurposed is disingenuous, because pride has always been about political advocacy," said Masud. "And in fact, in 2020, they released a statement, in solidarity with anti-Black racism, which talked about colonialism. And our CEO actually endorsed that statement and they continued to stand behind pride despite political advocacy at that time."

On Thursday, Capital Pride announced changes to the parade route. It will now end at Bank Street and Gladstone Avenue instead of Kent Street and Laurier Avenue.

Ottawa Police said it had to adjust its resources due to a high volume of events happening this weekend.

"In response to the constraints on available resources, we have worked closely with Capital Pride to adjust the route to a more manageable length. This adjustment ensures we can maintain an effective police presence and support a safe and successful event," police said in a statement.