Pride leaders across Canada are asking the feds for $9 million to fund their festivals.At a press conference on Tuesday, Callie Metler, Executive Director of Ottawa's Capital Pride, claimed the money given to pride organizations in Budget 2025 was not enough.They claim rising costs call for more money, $3 million annually, over a three-year period. The feds pledged in the budget to spend $1.5 million annually for security — stating the money covers rising costs of security and insurance for the festivals, which are the "result of rising anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate."."This funding [additional $9 million] will protect approximately 200 free accessible Pride festivals from coast to coast, to ensure Canada's commitment to inclusion goes beyond the symbolic," stated Metler.Metler goes on to say spending money on pride is "low cost" due to the "high return on investment."Metler also states the funding which these organizations receive is not stable, partly because it comes from private sponsorships, adding another pride director says corporate sponsorships are pulling out."We are seeing corporate sponsors pull back their investment into Pride. This can be for a multitude of reasons — DEI pullbacks, tariffs," said Joseph Hoang, another director at the conference for Vancouver Pride Society..Calgary Pride losing money as sponsors bail out.This is also true for the 2025 Calgary Pride Parade, according to a previous Western Standard report, its grants and sponsorships decreased by $300,000.Similarly, Toronto lost $900,000 for its parade last year, and Vancouver lost $400,000.
