No LGBTQ flag raising ceremony at Hamilton City Hall

With pride month beginning Saturday, Hamilton has flown the pride and trans flags above city hall, but the city’s volunteer LGBTQ advisory committee didn’t want that to happen, coming out against flying the flags or holding a flag-raising ceremony of any kind.

The mayor chose to take a middle ground, flying the flags but holding off on a ceremony.

Cameron Kroetsch is the chair of the city’s volunteer LGBTQ advisory committee. He says the committee asked the mayor to refrain from flying the flags or holding a flag raising ceremony because of concerns about how much the city does to support the LGBTQ community.

Kroetsch and the committee are specifically upset about revelations about Marc Lemire, a city IT employee with longstanding ties to white supremacist organizations. Two outside agencies are looking into what kind of information he may have accessed during his career.

Krotesch says he also wants to see improved communication between the LGBTQ community and the city.

In a statement Fred Eisenberger says, “there is much we still need to do. We recognize the important need to engage in meaningful dialogue to ensure all in the community feel truly respected.”