(Residents came together on August 23rd to celebrate Pride Week and the 5th annual Stittsville Pride Week flag raising ceremony at Village Square Park. Photo: Councillor Gower’s office and thank Adriana Galan and Kevin Hua for sharing their photos and videos in our absence.)
The 5th annual Stittsville Pride Week Flag Raising Ceremony, hosted by Councillor Glen Gower, took place on Sunday, August 23rd to start the week of Pride celebrations throughout Ottawa. Pride Week in Ottawa takes place from August 22 to 30, 2026 with the the annual Pride Parade taking place on Sunday, August 30 at 1:00pm.
Again this year, residents came out to attend despite the wet weather, but fortunately the sun broke through the sky just as the ceremony began. All in attendance were there to offer their support of strengthening diversity, respect, equity and inclusion among Stittsville residents.
Among those present at the Stittsville ceremony, were Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and guest speaker, Stittsville resident Pat Nikolovski who most will know her as DJ PowrHaus. She’s an award-winning DJ and entertainer, a high school teacher, and a community champion. Pat shared an “inspiring message about connection, celebration, and community,” shared Councillor Gower.
Pat Nikolovski shared with residents at the event:
“Feeling incredibly grateful today. 
A heartfelt thank you to Stittsville and Councillor Glen Gower for inviting me to be an honorary guest speaker at the Pride Flag Raising Ceremony.
It was an honour to stand alongside members of the community and share my story. Being given the opportunity to speak about my journey, the challenges along the way, and the importance of being proud of who you are meant more to me than I can put into words.
Pride is about more than raising a flag. It’s about visibility, acceptance, belonging, and creating communities where everyone feels safe and supported being exactly who they are.
Thank you to everyone who came out, listened, and helped make this ceremony so meaningful. And thank you again to Councillor Glen Gower and the Stittsville community for giving me the opportunity to use my voice and be part of such a special moment.”
For Pride Week, we ask residents to take some time to honour and recognize the challenges, achievements, and history of activism of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.