June 2024

Recognizing Pride Season

June to September is Pride Season in Canada, a time to celebrate 2SLGBTQI+ people (that is, people who are Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex, or who use other terms related to sexual or gender diversity) and honour the contributions that they have made and continue to make.

During Pride, a wide range of parties, parades and other celebratory events take place across the country.

Historically, gatherings emerged from the first large-scale protests for 2SLGBTQI+ rights. In Canada, the first demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971. By 1973, Pride events were held in several major Canadian cities. Toronto’s Pride weekend in June is now among the largest Pride events in North America.

These days, Pride Season encompasses a wide range of Pride events:

Pride Month, celebrated every June in many countries
Public Service Pride Week, celebrated annually in the third week of August
Pride events celebrated all summer long across Canada.

An estimated 1 million people in Canada are 2SLGBTQ+, representing 4% of the Canadian population aged 15 years and older.

Pride Season is a term that refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place over the summer (June to September) when 2SLGBTQI+ communities and allies come together to spotlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize the contributions of 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Although special attention is put on the Pride events during the summer months, they happen throughout the year in many communities.

Historically, Pride gatherings emerged from the first large-scale protests for 2SLGBTQI+ rights. In Canada, the first demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971. By 1973, Pride events were held in several Canadian cities, including Montréal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Toronto’s Pride weekend in June is now among the largest Pride events in North America.

Happy Pride Season!

In the news

Ontario invests $29M to address court backlog, but lawyer says it won’t help Sudbury

The investment is to appoint at least 25 judges and hire up to 190 staff, including Crown attorneys

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News · Posted: Jun 06, 2024 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 6

Sudbury lawyer Glenn Sandberg says most delays in the city are at the Superior Court of Justice, which falls under federal jurisdiction. (Gino Donato/CBC)

While a new investment from the province to address the criminal court backlog will help some communities, a defence attorney in Sudbury says it won’t make much of a difference in the northern Ontario city.

Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General is investing $29 million to appoint at least 25 new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, and hire 190 court staff, including Crown prosecutors.

Glenn Sandberg, a defence attorney who practices in Sudbury and Toronto, says that while the news will be welcome in many communities where there are vacancies at the Ontario Court of Justice, it won’t help with the backlog in Sudbury.

“We have an acute shortage of high court judges,” Sandberg said. “We are in very desperate need of a lot of high court judge appointments.”

Sandberg says delays in Sudbury are longest in the Superior Court of Justice, which falls under federal jurisdiction.

Delays in Ontario’s court system, and across Canada, really started during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sandberg says.

“When the world went dark, things shut down. The backlog of course happens,” Sandberg said.

Sandberg adds the province has tended to appoint new judges from its pool of Crown attorneys. Those attorneys who are promoted will need to be replaced.

Sara-Jane Berghammer, the CEO of the John Howard Society of Sudbury, says delays in the criminal court system can cause serious harm to victims and those accused of a crime.

“If people are not being seen and heard in court in a timely fashion, it becomes very problematic and it really does a disservice to the person and to the victim if they can’t rectify the matter in a decent amount of time,” she said.

In Canada, the Jordan decision says it’s unreasonable for a provincial court case to take longer than 18 months, and a federal case to go beyond 30 months.

When a court finds a delay to be unreasonable it can issue a stay of proceedings in which the prosecution ends and the accused is free to go.

Alternatives to criminal court

It’s the John Howard Society’s view that only the most serious criminal cases should go to trial, and alternatives should be explored for minor offences.

“What could be done currently is more referrals to programs that we have,” Berghammer said.

Those programs include a pre-charge program for minor offences. Instead of pressing charges a police officer can choose to refer the accused to the John Howard Society where restorative measures are considered. This diverts the case away from the court system.

Berghammer says support for programs like that one would help address the court backlog across Ontario.

The John Howard Society believes in effective, just and humane responses to crime and its causes. We are dedicated to creating genuinely safer communities by helping to foster a truly effective criminal justice system. The John Howard Society helps people reintegrate into society, thereby reducing alienation, crime and recidivism.

Our mission is resolute. We want to help to create a truly effective criminal justice system – one that serves us all, that confronts crime and its causes and that fosters safer communities. In short, we help people turn away from a life of crime. Surely, that’s what we’d all like to see.

Practically speaking, we STOP Crime Now ! ^TM through the multitude of programs and services that we offer to the community. You can help us to STOP Crime Now ! ^TM through your donation to the John Howard Society of Sudbury. All funds raised are used to deliver our programs and services in the Sudbury and North Bay communities. STOP Crime Now ! ^TM is a registered trademark of the John Howard Society of Sudbury.

We are proud to commemorate Prisoners Justice Day every year. It is a day where we remember the violence within the walls of incarceration and the men and women who have died because of this violence while incarcerated. In 2024 the commemoration will be on August 10 at 10:00 am on the grounds of the Sudbury Jail. For more information please go to the Prisoners Justice Day page on our website.

(NEW!) The John Howard Society assists people with criminal records to apply for a record suspension, formerly known as a pardon. It is a lengthy process and can take up to two years. If you would like more information contact the John Howard Society as soon as possible.

Some of our funders include the following and we are truly appreciative of their support. Given that the vast majority of Canadians claim to give to charities but just less than 25% of Canadians claim their charitable donations on their tax return, you may want to make sure you know the benefits! Your donations are important ! Please remember us.

To easily calculate the tax savings for a donation of any amount, use https://www.canadahelps.org/taxtime/.

For information on how our programs and services can be accessed in French contact the John Howard Society of Sudbury at the references located on our contact page. Those programs and services that are available in French are noted with an (F) in the title of each service or program. The John Howard Society is an inclusive agency serving all people in our community. We have posted the Pride progress Flag on our website as a symbol that everyone is welcome to enter our agency for service.

Vianet is a proud supporter of the John Howard Society and the great work that we do all across Ontario to provide effective, just, and humane responses to crime and its causes. Vianet supports and helps in creating safer communities and to STOP Crime Now!

June is National Indigenous History Month. For more information please go to our Events page.

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