Our agency was made aware that a number of local and nation-wide demonstrations are planned for Wednesday, September 20th under the “1 Million March 4 Children” banner at legislatures, city halls, and school board offices. These demonstrations seek to eliminate Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) curriculum and policies from Canadian schools.
Our agency and CUPE Local 5319 stand together to support the 2S-LGBTQ+ community, staff and the children and youth we serve and their families. We can only imagine how scary, anxiety-filled and psychologically distressing it must be for those we serve and those who are part of our agency, communities/families, as they worry about their safety and well-being. We stand firmly against all forms of violence, hate, intolerance and attempts at erasure.
The agency was also made aware of an electronic flyer that is being circulated—asking students to leave their home schools and meet-up at either Huntsville or Bracebridge High Schools at 9:30am Wednesday morning in order to march to city hall in protest (and to protest). The above is being orchestrated by outside community groups and are in no way connected or supported by both schools or their board. We where also made aware of a counter protest being planned at both Barrie and Muskoka city halls.
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Here is a statement and information from Children’s Mental Health Ontario.
Here is a statement from OACAS.
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In response to the above:
- The agency has communicated with our local school partners regarding mental health services/supports to students and their families along with ensuring safety measures are in place for Wednesday, September 20th, and long after.
- We have reached out to our community partners to find out what they are doing to keep children, youth and their families safe along with providing supportive/remedial services.
If you or anyone you know needs support, please reach out.
