Toronto Mayor John Tory called police chief Mark Saunders’ decision for Toronto Police not to march in this year’s Pride parade a “temporary setback” in the relationship between the city’s law enforcement and the LGBTQ community.

“For my part, I am just very frustrated and very disappointed that an event that is meant to be, and in fact is all about inclusion, has now somehow become about exclusion,” Tory said.

BLM Toronto co-founder Rodney Diverlus said Friday he wasn’t surprised by the chief’s decision.

“The Pride action really was a culmination of decades of conversations,” Diverlus said.

“I think that this is an inevitable step forward,” Diverlus said in an interview.

Tory said that pushing people apart weakens Toronto as a city.

“I don’t think this entire episode is helpful in terms of any relationships that I can think of,” Tory said.

His comments came after Saunders announced that Toronto police won’t take part in this year’s Pride parade after pressure from some members of the LGBTQ communities.

Toronto’s Pride parade was interrupted last summer by a protest from Black Lives Matter and only resumed when Pride Toronto’s then-executive director Matthieu Chantelois signed a list of demands put forth by the group that included a ban on police floats in future parades.

Chantelois later said he only agreed to the demands in order to get the parade moving again.

Police will continue to have their annual Pride reception and provide security for the parade, Saunders said.

“What we have seen from the Toronto Police Service is that they are also listening and their actions reflect a commitment to continuing the conversation with our community to move forward,” wrote Pride Toronto in a statement.

“This festival, this movement, must continue to belong to everyone in our community. It must offer something that speaks to all of us and the variety of lived experiences in our community—creating a space where we can all feel at home.”

Pride Toronto emphasized that members of the police service are “still welcome to march in the Parade as members or allies” of the community.

Diverlus said he thinks “things would have to be dramatically different” for police to be welcomed back into the parade.

“The onus is on them to prove they are actually taking our lives seriously,” Diverlus said.

He said he looks forward to future conversations on the rights of diverse people, including sex workers and people with mental health issues.

“We really are excited to open up that can of worms,” Diverlus said.

“Just because the police are not marching in the parade, it doesn’t mean we’re done yet,” Diverlus said.

For his part, Tory thanked police “for how far they have come in their relationships with the LGBTQ2S communities.”

“Our police officers should be commended for the bridges that have been built and that they are continuing to build, Tory said.

In announcing his decision, Saunders said Toronto police have made great strides with the LGBTQ communities.

“It’s an inclusive relationship I’m proud of and I know the men and women of the Service feel the same way,” Saunders said.

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“We understand the LGBTQ communities are divided,” Saunders said. “To enable those differences to be addressed, I have decided the Toronto Police Service will not participate, this year, in the Pride Parade.”

“I want to make it very clear that this will have no impact on our ongoing outreach to LGBTQ communities,” Saunders said.

“We will continue to develop respectful relationships and build new ones, focusing on those who feel marginalized, with the trans and racialized communities,” Saunders said. “I will sit down with any group who feels marginalized, who comes to the table with ideas on how to make things better.

“We have come a long way. We have much to do.”

Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack was upset at the decision, saying it set back police/community relations.

“We think this is a bad decision,” McCormack told reporters. “This is political pandering.”

Const. Danielle Bottineau, the Toronto Police LGBT liaison, said she has spoken with the Chief and supports the decision.

“We need to take the distraction away from the community celebrating Pride,” Bottineau said.

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam praised the decision by police to remove floats and booths from Pride Month in 2017.

“The decision was taken at the Pride Toronto Annual General Meeting, along with the election of several new board members,” Wong-Tam said. “The decision does not come without concerns and in the near future we most likely will be faced with a recurring challenge – a threat to revoke the City of Toronto’s funding for the festival.”

Wong-Tam said the demands of Black Lives Matter Toronto “did not emerge out of a vacuum.”

“For years there have been grievances that have not risen to the level of broad public awareness, but continued to create friction,” she said.

Earlier this week, Halifax’s police force announced it will not participate in the city’s Pride parade this year.

Last month, Pride Toronto members voted to ostensibly ban official police floats from marches and parades, adopting a list of demands put forward by Black Lives Matter.

That list has been the source of controversy and polarization within the community since the 2016 Toronto Pride parade, during which the group staged a half-hour sit-in to present their list of demands.

With files from Sammy Hudes, Azzura Lalani and The Canadian Press

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