Redekop says new Pride Niagara ticket buy-in ‘doesn’t compute’

Fort Erie will not join Pride Niagara’s flag-raising this year after the non-profit asked municipalities to purchase tickets to its annual gala, according to Mayor Wayne Redekop.

The dispute means Fort Erie will sit out Pride Niagara’s 16th annual regional ceremony planned for June unless terms change.

“I was really quite surprised when I got the letter,” Redekop told Fort Erie Radio.

Pride Niagara has asked municipalities for support that goes beyond “symbolic gestures,” according to a release on Friday, including participation in the Niagara UNITY Awards, which it calls the region’s only ceremony recognizing 2SLGBTQ+ people and allies.

“Support is often limited to visible, one-time gestures such as a corporate flag raising rather than ongoing collaboration or response to community-identified needs,” reads the press release from Pride Niagara.

Redekop said the town’s objection rests on the financial condition attached to the flag-raising.

“They were requiring us to buy a table of tickets at their gala in order to fly the flag,” he said. “That doesn’t compute.”

Fort Erie raises flags for several causes and non-profit organizations each year.

“And we’re happy to do that because it shows our support for those organizations, but we can’t be paying,” said Redekop.

Pride Niagara stated the new participation rules are an answer to consistent community feedback about “performative allyship.” This year, the flag-raising would require “active engagement” at the Niagara UNITY Awards to push visibility into “meaningful action.”

Several municipalities have agreed to the expanded model, including Pelham, West Lincoln, Grimsby, Port Colborne, and St. Catharines. As of Friday, Pride Niagara said Thorold, Wainfleet, Lincoln and Niagara-on-the-Lake had already declined under the same requirements.

Fort Erie had not been listed Friday among municipalities that had declined. Redekop’s comments Saturday appear to settle the town’s position on Pride Niagara’s terms.

Redekop said Fort Erie and Pride Niagara will discuss the issue further ahead of Pride Month in June.

“We’ll discuss this with them and we’ll work with them,” said Redekop. “We have a long-standing, good relationship with the Pride community in Fort Erie and in Niagara in general, but in particular in Fort Erie.”

He added that Pride-related events have been held in town facilities and called diversity part of Fort Erie’s identity as a welcoming community.

The mayor did not say Saturday whether Fort Erie plans a separate local Pride flag-raising or another Pride Month recognition outside the Pride Niagara banner.

Last year’s Niagara UNITY Awards were billed as a formal gala with a three-course dinner and entertainment. Pride Niagara has described the event as a key part of its wider push for stronger municipal support for 2SLGBTQ+ residents.

Fort Erie Pride will hold its Celebrate Community event on Saturday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Fort Erie Leisureplex.

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