CHEO president speaks out after being targeted by homophobic slurs
The president and CEO of CHEO in Ottawa is speaking out after he was targeted by homophobic slurs while walking his young son to daycare earlier this week.
"Somebody on the street called out my name and started shouting out homophobic insults," Alex Munter said.
Munter says having his four-year-old son with him made the verbal attack even worse.
"That's happened to me many times over the decades but you know there's a little boy there and just to think that somebody is just so consumed by hatred, that they would subject a child, nobody should be subjected to it, but to subject a child to it as well was really infuriating."
Munter says this is just one example of why having Capital Pride is so important.
"Pride has always been a a celebration, a celebration that is about allowing people to be who they are, to recognize that love is love, that we are a community where we support each other," said Munter, adding "especially as the Ottawa Police reports an increase in the number of hate crimes, that the event, the week is more important than ever."
This year's Capital Pride, which kicks off on Sunday and culminates with the parade on Aug. 28, feature dozens of free events celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community and advocating for change.
"We know folks are still having trouble accessing Trans healthcare. Folks walking down the street are still facing challenges you know holding hands or just being who they are," said Toby Whitfield, Capital Pride's executive director. "In so many ways Pride is important, both as a moment to celebrate and as a moment to progress forward."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.