EDMONTON — The City of Edmonton unveiled "Beyond Belonging: The 2SLGBTQIA+ Safe Spaces Action Plan" on Wednesday, in an effort to create a "safe and welcoming" environment and help fight hate crimes and incidents targeting sexual minorities. "The City of Edmonton’s commitment to advancing 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion and safety is rooted in the direction set by Edmonton’s Council, as well as direction from the City Plan," reads the plan's document."It seeks to honour and complement a powerful legacy of decades of work and ongoing efforts by 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in Edmonton.".Beyond Belonging follows a process initiated in 2023 that included consultations with around 800 "2SLGBTQIA+" Edmontonians and comprises seven primary actions and 53 subactions."The Beyond Belonging: 2SLGBTQIA+ Safe Spaces Action Plan is intentionally designed not as a standalone effort but as a strategic accelerator for the City of Edmonton’s existing corporate vision," the document reads. The plan includes additional funding for Edmonton's Community Mural Grant to prioritize projects that emphasize the values of "equity" and "inclusion," including those supporting sexual minorities. Additionally, Neighbourhood Services will prioritize funding applications that include "equity, inclusion, and accessibility plans," while Affordable Housing & Homelessness will give weight to projects that demonstrate a commitment to these values..Beyond Belonging was created in the light of a "rise in hate-motivated crimes, incidents and anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment" between 2020 and 2025. "This trend affects not only the approximately 2,000 Edmontonians who identify as trans women, trans men, Two-Spirit, non-binary, or gender-diverse, the nearly 40,000 residents who identify as part of broader 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and the more than 10 percent of Canadian youth who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, but also the city's overall sense of inclusion and civic trust," the plan reads. It introduces the City's intention to provide sexual minority owned or supported organizations looking to become "Rainbow Registered" with added funding to offset the audit and accreditation costs. The City of Edmonton spent $750,000 on 12 organizations in 2025 through the Beyond Belonging 2SLGBTQIA+ Grant Program, and the same amount has been budgeted for 2026. .Other elements in the plan include installing pro-inclusion signage on transit vehicles, developing a changeroom approach for recreation facilities, "under-represented population" targeted marketing and hiring fairs, attracting "inclusive" sport and cultural events, and updating City training and protocols. The City says information and insights gathered throughout the plan's construction will help form future developments, including the Migrant Action Plan, Blueprint for Violence Prevention, Community Recreation & Culture Equity Plan, and Transit Safety Plan.
