OPEN LETTER TO EDMONTON PRIDEFEST ASSOCIATION

Re: Community Consultation, Police Presence, Governance, and Public Accountability in Edmonton's 2026 Pride Parade and Festival

August 23, 2026

To: Trevor Watson, Tara Beltran, Connie Shields

Board of Directors

Edmonton PrideFest Association

We write as community organizations, advocates, service providers and community members seeking clear answers regarding Edmonton PrideFest's community consultation, approach to police presence, governance and public accountability.

Our concerns arise from activities conducted in 2025 and from the planning and delivery of the 2026 Pride events. They include the apparent absence of meaningful consultation with Trans and QTBIPOC communities, a significant increase in visible police presence, the proposed participation of EPS Pipes & Drums, and broader questions regarding PrideFest's governance and decision-making structures.

The August 14th withdrawal of EPS Pipes & Drums resolved one immediate issue. It did not resolve these broader questions.

Taken together, these events raise serious questions about PrideFest's governance, decision-making, community consultation and accountability. We are asking PrideFest's Board and leadership to address the following matters publicly.

GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY

Additionally, why does a director with documented involvement in activities opposing SOGI-inclusive initiatives sit on PrideFest's Board, what standards govern Board eligibility and conduct, and what accountability process applies when a director's activities conflict with PrideFest's mandate?

Additionally, How are directors recruited, appointed or elected, what representation do Trans, Two Spirit, Black, Indigenous and racialized people have at the Board and leadership levels, and what conflict-of-interest safeguards apply?

Additionally, what formal decision-making authority did Trans Community Advisory Council (TCAC) and PrideFest's other advisory bodies possess, and who had authority to accept, reject or override their recommendations?

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY & PRIVACY

Additionally, What financial disclosures is PrideFest required to prepare or make available, have those obligations been met, do directors, officers or members receive compensation or service contracts, and where can the community access this information?

Additionally, what policies govern recording, consent, retention, use and disclosure of community communications, and what safeguards protect confidential and identifying information obtained through consultation?

POLICE PRESENCE & COMMUNITY SAFETY

Who decided the number, placement and visibility of police at the 2026 events, what presence was operationally required versus requested or facilitated by PrideFest, and what consultation occurred with affected communities?

What consultations and assessments did PrideFest conduct regarding the impact of increased visible police presence on community safety and participation, and what less-visible alternatives were considered?

RARICANOW AND THE 2025 TRANS MARCH

What commitments did PrideFest make following the 2025 Trans March, why was RARICAnow not formally included in 2026 planning, and what actions were taken to implement those commitments?

MEANINGFUL TRANS AND QTBIPOC COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

What meaningful Trans and QTBIPOC consultation had PrideFest completed before July 31st, and why was essential community engagement still being developed within weeks of Pride?

EPS PIPES & DRUMS

Who authorized the EPS Pipes & Drums application, why was TCAC not informed or consulted, and why was EPS participation absent from the Trans community consultation?

Who participated in the Parade Advisory Committee consultation, what communities or organizations did they formally represent, and how did PrideFest distinguish individual opinions from authorized organizational positions?

PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY

What concrete changes will PrideFest make to its governance, meaningful consultation, police-engagement and public accountability structures to repair public trust?

Organizations receiving public funds, relying on volunteer labour and asking marginalized communities to contribute their time, lived experience and public trust have a corresponding obligation to operate with integrity and public accountability.

Social belonging and human dignity depend in part on communities being able to trust the organizations that claim to represent them. Where that trust has been damaged, community care requires transparency, accountability and meaningful relational repair.

We request a substantive written public response to these questions.

Respectfully,

Adebayo Katiti & and the Board of Directors of RARICAnow

with

Zita Dube-Lockhart, President - The Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness

Toni Harris, Director - The Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness

Erie Melnychuk, Director - The Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness

Jason Dube-Lockhart, Treasurer - The Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness

Alison Czarnietzki, INTERA Steering Committee Chair - The Centre for Trauma Informed Fitness

Claire Pearen, Founder and Co-Organizer - Pride Corner On Whyte

Erica Posteraro, Co-Organizer - Pride Corner On Whyte

Colin Bennion, Founder - Two Guys With Wood YEG

Kris Bennion, Co-Founder - Two Guys With Wood YEG

Aligned Community Organizations, Advocates and Additional Signatories as listed below.