Riding Mountain the site of first ever Parks Canada-organized Pride event

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OTTAWA — Riding Mountain National Park is holding the first Pride event organized by Parks Canada.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/09/2017 (2962 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Riding Mountain National Park is holding the first Pride event organized by Parks Canada.

“Our national parks exist for all Canadians to enjoy, and visitors to Canada,” Cal Martin, the park’s visitor experience manager said in an interview. “We’ve tried to take a leadership role.”

While the Alberta mountain town of Jasper has a Pride festival for the past eight years, it’s been a grassroots effort within a national park. Riding Mountain’s is advertised on Parks Canada letterhead, and run by park staff.

SUBMITTED
Riding Mountain National Park will hold Pride events this weekend.
SUBMITTED Riding Mountain National Park will hold Pride events this weekend.

Martin says the idea came about from two LGBTTQ* staff, as the park tried to boost its shoulder-season slump. It also fit into one of the Liberal government’s four Canada 150 themes, “diversity and inclusion.”

The local chamber of commerce helped organize the events, and not all of them touch on themes about gender and sexual minorities.

A Wednesday evening convoy had people drove through the park in a line and listened to a guide speak live through a radio connection. A Thursday night lecture by University of Winnipeg biologist Heather Hinam had 25 guests learn about how the animal kingdom determines species’ sex.

Martin said the park has bucked its trend of a drop in visitors as kids return to school after Labour Day. The park still has to tally its numbers, but full-service cabins that would normally be mostly empty are almost full.

Yet Martin is cautious to say the good weather and the free Canada 150 park pass may have contributed to the uptick. In any case, he said the experience has definitely led to a rethink, with some staff taking diversity training.

While many single-person washrooms are gender-neutral, those in busier areas are segregated along gender lines, which can be difficult for people who look androgynous or identify as non-binary. Temporarily making some washrooms gender-neutral has led staff to mull asking Ottawa to change permanent signage around the park.

“We want to make sure that people of all backgrounds and all genders feel welcome in Riding Mountain,” Martin said. “We can always do better to take down the barriers, so that everyone feels comfortable when they come.”

Conservative MP Robert Sopuck, whose riding includes the park, said he sent a staff member to the Tuesday opening ceremony, because he couldn’t make it there himself.

“I am pleased to see Riding Mountain National Park be the first national park to organize and host a Pride Week in Canada,” wrote Sopuck, who is the Tory parks and conservation critic.

“Parks Canada has done a great job in bringing these events together and creating a welcoming atmosphere for everyone.”

Martin says the park hasn’t gotten any complaints yet, but he’s prepared to field them.

“When you ask people what Canada stands for, the diversity among Canadians is our strength. So why would we pick and choose what diversity is good,” he said. “We’ve matured a lot as a country, and it’s a lot easier to have this discussion openly than it has been in the past.”

The events wrap up Sunday.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca

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