On August 12th a large crowd were on hand for Councillor Gower’s annual Pride flag raising ceremony held at Stittsville’s Village Square Park. Among those present were Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and guest speaker, Kimberlee Barter the Director of Centre33 located in Kanata. Also in attendance, were Marion Steele, Chair of West Side Pride; Councillors Cathy Curry and Steve Desroches.
Councillor Gower welcomed everyone to the flag raising event saying, “Ottawa Pride Week is a time to reflect on the importance of strengthening diversity, respect, equity, and inclusion among Stittsville residents. I am so happy to see everyone here this afternoon for our third annual flag raising event.”
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe shared “Ottawa is a welcoming, caring, and inclusive city where there are challenges in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but we must work together for a society with equal rights and opportunities for all by strengthening diversity, respect, equity, and inclusion among residents.”
Guest speaker, Kimberlee Barter, shared inspiring stories about how Centre33 is making a positive difference in the lives of people in our community while they encourage advocacy for equity and social justice. Centre33 offers support to 2SLGBTQIA+ youth from Stittsville welcoming them to a safe space where they can be themselves.
Centre33 offers a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth (ages 12-17) of all genders, races, heritages, (dis)abilities, and class backgrounds. The Cente offers a variety of programs and services, in addition to drop-in hours, a queer library, health advocacy, housing support, peer-support and more. Centre33 is located at 33 Leacock Drive in Kanata.
This year, due to the unavailability of Councillor Gower for Pride Week, the flag will fly for two weeks until August 25th. Happy Pride!