Press Release from the City of Montreal
Cancellation of the Pride Parade
Philippe Schnobb releases his report on the cancellation of the Pride Parade
Montreal, October 5, 2022 – Designated last August to shed light on the cancellation of the Pride Parade, Philippe Schnobb releases his report. After many hours of interviews with individuals involved, Mr. Schnobb clarifies the thread of events and makes recommendations for Montréal Pride to pursue the improvement of its governance and internal structure.
Mr. Schnobb’s specific mandate was to investigate three key themes: understand the cancellation’s thread of events; analyze governance and decision-making processes that led to this decision; assess the financial and reputational impact on Montréal Pride. His transparent and collaborative work aimed to better understand the situation to support the organization through its next editions, thus ensuring the sustainability of a major Montreal event: the Pride Parade.
Mr. Schnobb’s report mentions several internal communication issues that would have led within a few minutes to the cancellation of the Pride Parade. Senior management was faced with a fait accompli: the Pride Parade would have been canceled without their formal consent. On that morning, a sense of urgency would also have contributed in precipitating the operational chain of command. Therefore, it is recommended that the organization commissions an external review of its emergency response plan and update it accordingly.
Regarding logistics and Pride Parade security recruitment, the report mentions a lack of resources a few weeks before the Pride Parade that generated a work overload, which could partially explain the situation. The report recommends more thorough logistics management and improvements to information sharing.
Finally, to strengthen trust with its partners and the public, it is recommended that Montréal Pride benefits from the support of a governance expert to reinforce its governing bodies while pursuing the strategic planning process that is already afoot.
“It was necessary for our administration to ensure that Pride Montreal has all the necessary tools to ensure the success of future editions of the Pride Parade. Philippe Schnobb’s work, carried out with rigor and sensitivity, will contribute to restoring the public’s confidence in this essential Montreal organization. We salute the collaboration and proactivity of Fierté Montréal, which is already being supported in order to follow up on the recommendations made and improve its operating methods. Fierté Montréal and its parade play an essential role in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and we are all mobilized to guarantee the quality of this flagship event,” said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
“We welcome this report with openness and humility and wish to thank Mr. Schnobb for the respect and transparency he displayed throughout his mandate. Complemented with external resources, several reforms are already underway within the organization and these recommendations will improve and clarify our future actions,” said Moe Hamandi, Board President of Montréal Pride.
“We are determined to pursue our collective efforts to rebuild and consolidate relationships with our communities, the population, and our partners. My team and I are geared towards the consolidation of our work so that we can ensure the development and delivery of all Montréal Pride initiatives – particularly the highlight of the Festival, the Pride Parade,” said the Executive Director of Montréal Pride, Simon Gamache.
“I would like to extend my thanks to the municipal administration and Montréal Pride for trusting me with this analysis. I benefited from the complete collaboration of the Montréal Pride team; thanks to them, we now have a clear picture of the events surrounding the Pride Parade cancellation. I am confident the Montréal Pride’s administrative team and Board of Directors will welcome and act upon these recommendations. Their efforts will allow a strengthened governance and, most importantly, ensure that everyone can enjoy the major event that is the Pride Parade,” concluded Philippe Schnobb.
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Source
Alicia Dufour
Press Officer
Cabinet of the Mayor and the Executive Comitee
City of Montreal
alicia.dufour@montreal.ca
514 354-8017
