2015 annual report

“35 years on,
Pride Toronto is all grown up
and taking on the world.”
Kristy Hoffman, The Globe and Mail
“Pride Toronto presented what is being
talked about as the biggest and best
Pride Week that marked the 35th edition
of the internationally popular festival.”
Amoryn Engel, National Post “After last year’s wildly successful WorldPride festivities, the
organizers at Pride Toronto wanted to keep the momentum rolling.
With Canada’s largest ever drag show, sunny pool parties, lush beer
gardens, and massive dances they seem to have risen to the occasion.”
Julia Stead, BlogTO
Message from
our Board Co-Chairs
W
hat an incredible year we’ve had! Pride Toronto hosted another
banner festival of unforgettable performances, marquee
events and iconic headliners that has once again cemented
our status as a world leader of Pride celebrations and Toronto’s
largest festival.
Our 35th year was one of transformation and progress. We
were thrilled to welcome our new Executive Director, Mathieu Chantelois, who, along
with our staff and volunteers, built on the energy, excitement and legacies from last
year’s WorldPride. We also moved into our shiny new headquarters at 55 Berkeley
Street, a location that will accommodate Pride Toronto for years to come as we continue
to expand our festival footprint. We also reached out broadly to develop our recently
launched 2016–2021 Strategic Plan to guide the organization over the next five years.
The future is bright and the possibilities are endless for Toronto’s Pride festival!
This year was special for Pride and for our city, as the host of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am
/ Parapan Am Games. Pride Toronto’s Come OUT and PLAY! theme welcomed everyone
to our inclusive city. This year was also notable for the dialogue about our community’s
rights in the Pan-American region and for the largest contingent of sports groups in the
history of our Pride Parade. We also celebrated the return of Toronto’s Mayor to Pride;
and we extend a very special thanks to Mayor John Tory for his outstanding support!
Pride Toronto forged new community partnerships in 2015. We worked with the Church
Wellesley BIA to co-host our opening weekend kickoff event; we developed a new
partnership with The 519 and Green Space Festival to co-host the much-anticipated
Starry Night extravaganza; and were honoured to work alongside 11 other organizations
to deliver the PrideHouseTO initiative during the Pan Am Games. We look forward to
partnering with the community in dynamic new ways to increase the scale, scope, and
impact of our festival in years to come.
The Board of Directors is very pleased to close another year with a financial surplus.
We enjoyed incredible participation in the festival this year, despite Toronto’s largest
rainfall in the past five years during our closing weekend. With umbrellas, rain ponchos
and smiles, every individual proved Pride is a celebration that matters to our city, our
culture and our future.
Pride Toronto is grateful to all of our sponsors, especially our platinum sponsor, TD Bank
Group. We thank our public funders at the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario, and
the Government of Canada. Of course, our most heartfelt gratitude goes to the more
than 1,750 volunteers who made this a year to remember.
As we prepare for our 2016 festival, we remember Toronto’s 1981 bathhouse raids as
the catalyst for mass protests and the spur for the development of our organization.
We’re confident that 2016 will further entrench Pride as a celebration of our community’s
victories and serve as an essential platform for promoting awareness of issues that
require our commitment and focus. We look forward as we acknowledge the past,
stand together in the present and welcome you to the future of next year’s festival. Aaron GlynWilliams and Alica Hall
Co-Chairs, Board of Directors
Thank you sponsors!
Message from our
Executive Director
T
he 35th edition of Pride Toronto’s festival proved that NOTHING
can rain on our parade. Instead, we conjured up a different kind
of storm that overtook Toronto!
Our festival was met with an outpour of support from our largestever team of devoted volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout
the months leading up to and the full 10 days of the festival.
Our stages and events—DRAG ON!, Bend It Like Bombay and Blockorama among
others—were supercharged with artists from around the world and packed with
energetic festival-goers celebrating our incredible community, despite the challenging
weather. With their very presence, each individual made a clear statement about the
meaning and the importance of Pride.
With our longest-ever Trans* March to date, we saw the largest celebration showcasing
Trans* Pride in North America, featuring Chaz Bono and Mx Justin Vivian Bond, in
addition to proudly hosting the first Trans* Pride Community Fair.
Over 200 of Toronto’s thought leaders joined us at the University of Toronto for our
second annual Human Rights Conference, in partnership with The Bonham Centre
for Sexual Diversity Studies and PrideHouseTO, with the support of Rainbow Railroad,
Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. This sold-out discussion about our
community’s rights in the Pan-American region received accolades from attendees and
presenters alike.
International Grand Marshalls Pussy Riot, Celina Jaitly and Cyndi Lauper, along with
Grand Marshall David Furnish, Brendan Jordan (Pride Toronto’s first-ever Youth
Ambassador), and PrideHouseTO as our Honoured Group, raised awareness of our
victories and struggles as we celebrated together in the Pride Parade.
Like the parade, it was shoulder-to-shoulder with Mayor Tory and Toronto City Councillors
at the City Hall flag-raising. The soirée with John Waters and the magnificent Cabana
Pool Party stood out among many memorable weekday offerings this year.
Planning is now well underway for our 2016 festival. Fuelled by the undeniable power
and beauty of our community’s diversity, we will tell stories, create platforms and
continue to make a cultural, social and political impact in Toronto and beyond. Be
assured, we’re hard at work and no one will want to take a rain check in 2016!
Mathieu Chantelois
Executive Director
Pride Toronto would also like to thank: Salah Bachir
Scott Mullin The United Nations Free and Equal Campaign
The Elton John AIDS Foundation
The 519
Ryerson University
2015
HONOURED
POSITIONS
Celina Jaitly
Cyndi Lauper
INTERNATIONAL GRAND MARSHALL
INTERNATIONAL GRAND MARSHALL
“It makes me so happy to be a part of this great
celebration of human beings… it’s another
wonderful platform for me to come and be the
voice on behalf of people in countries where
people do not have the rights to go and celebrate
themselves, to say we’re all human beings first.”
“With the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Pride
will be extra special this year, for sure. It’s a
big celebration… we all get to celebrate our
differences. It’s inspiring. As a gay friend and
family member, I feel it’s still a relevant and an
important day. There’s always a reason to party
and have fun!”
Celina Jaitly, in the Toronto Star
Cyndi Lauper, in the Toronto Sun
Pussy Riot
Brendan Jordan
INTERNATIONAL GRAND MARSHALLS
YOUTH AMBASSADOR
“The anti-propaganda laws [passed in Russia]
are very harmful to the gay community. When
you come into the streets carrying a rainbow
flag, people are free to beat you. And our
governments don’t prosecute those people, they
just encourage them…. If you have the voice,
you have the responsibility to help people who
don’t have that voice.”
“Coming out isn’t something that’s easy for
everyone because the first step is accepting
yourself; because you have to accept yourself
before anyone can really accept you…. Coming
out was amazing because it literally feels like
chains have been taken off of you.”
Brendan Jordan, in Daily Xtra
Nadya Tolokonnikova, in NOW Magazine
David Furnish
PrideHouseTO
GRAND MARSHALL
HONOURED GROUP
“I want to draw awareness to the fact that
there are 81 countries in the world where it is
still criminalized to be gay, where LGBT people
don’t have rights. When 1.2 million people come
together for Pride Toronto that’s great, but
we now need to start paying it forward and
thinking about the rest of the world.”
“As an out athlete, I think it’s very important
for athletes who aren’t necessarily out or who
are struggling to have a place where they
feel safe and to perform at their best. I think
[PrideHouseTO] is an important message for not
just Toronto but Canada to send to the world.”
David Furnish, in the Toronto Star
Erin McLeod, in The Globe and Mail
2015
BY THE
NUMBERS
On the street
Arts & Culture
232 18
216
512
9
STREETFAIR
BOOTHS
10,000
37
for-profit businesses with more than
2 outlets or with international presence
14
for-profit businesses with
2 or fewer outlets in Canada
82
PARADE
MARCHERS
ARTISTS AND
MUSICIANS
PRIDE
TORONTO
STAGES
Volunteers
15,000
83
motorcycles
19
7
CITY BLOCKS
CLOSED
HOURS OF
EVENT
PROGRAMMING
HOURS
community
groups
2,450
SHIFTS
large unions
(over 25,000 members)
28
non-profits, charities, small unions,
government agencies, student groups,
political groups
VOLUNTEER TEAMS
5,000 3,000
DYKE MARCHERS
Social Media
TRANS* MARCHERS
1 million
PARADE
ATTENDEES
46% 14%
Source: CP24
INCREASE IN
FACEBOOK
FOLLOWERS
INCREASE IN
TWITTER
FOLLOWERS
HIGHLIGHTS
TRANS*
PRIDE
FRIDAY JUNE 26
Pride Toronto presented the largest-ever Trans*
celebration in North America, with Canada’s first Trans*
Pride Fair, an extended Trans* Pride March, an expanded
Trans* Space, and the Transforming Pride showcase event
featuring Chaz Bono and Mx Justin Vivan Bond at YongeDundas Square.
“Thousands took part in the annual Trans* March… an event
whose numbers seem to swell by 50 percent each year, a literal
manifestation of the march of progress. The Trans* march has
quickly established itself as one of Pride Week’s largest and most
urgent events.”
Jonathan Goldsbie, NOW Magazine
BEND
IT LIKE
BOMBAY
FRIDAY JUNE 26
Festival-goers were immersed in a riveting and magical
world of culture as Pride Toronto partnered with Besharam
to show just how vibrant Toronto can be. At the TD
Wellesley Stage, the South Asian festival of Holi was
celebrated by tantalizing performances from musicians,
activists and dancers lasting late into the night.
“Bend it Like Bombay was a huge success! Everything from the
talented performers, high energy DJ sets, the colourful and
vibrant Holi theme to a powerful message from activist Celina
Jaitly, it was an experience I was so honoured to be a part of. It
was both exciting and moving to see Toronto come out to support
multiculturalism within the LGBTQ community.”
Pooja Handa, CP24 News Anchor and Bend It Like Bombay host
PRIDE
PARADE
HIGHLIGHTS
SUNDAY JUNE 28
DRAG
ON!
SATURDAY JUNE 27
Our marquee signature event celebrated our 35th festival
with 35 drags taking the stage. Hosted by headliner
Bianca Del Rio, DRAG ON! featured music by Australian
queen Kitty Glitter and a marathon of performances,
including Miss Fame and Katya, from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Our local queens stole the show, including unforgettable
performances by Carlotta Carlisle, Farra N Hyte, Vitality
Black and Jenna Syde.
“This drag event of the year was not to be missed!”
Ryan English, Daily Xtra
The 2015 Pride Parade, on the final day of festival
celebrations, featured over 175 participating community
and ally groups who shared their stories through art,
costumes and choreography.
“Cold temperatures and a constant drizzle didn’t seem to cool
celebrations at Toronto’s 35th annual Pride Parade… the largest
event of its kind in the country.”
Canadian Press
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Audited
Financial Statements
REVENUES
Sponsorships
Grants
Permits and Fees
Donations and Fundraising
Beverage Sales
EXPENSES
Media and promotion
Entertainment and events
Salaries and benefits
Festival Infrastructure
Office and administration
Beverage cost of sales
Occupancy
Volunteer costs
Community outreach, fundraising and bursaries
Insurance
Communications and security
Amortization of capital assets
Excess of revenues over expenses
Accumulated surplus, beginning of year
Accumulated surplus, end of year
Aaron GlynWilliams (Co-Chair), Alica Hall (Co-Chair),
Paul J. Saguil (Secretary), Chris Tremeer (Treasurer), Kerry Bell,
Rachel Lauren Clark, Shelley Craig, Carolynn Gludish, Lauryn Kronick,
Michael Mirpuri, Dana Suvagau, Tatum Wilson.
2015
2014
$ 2,052,718
551, 920
204,120
170,546
125,602
$ 2,789,115
1,383,890
339,117
483,023
316,221
3,104,906
5,311,366
876,876
546,641
518,504
331,239
239,244
173,169
160,774
59,490
50,302
41,447
40,834
24,800
1,528,136
1,491,244
569,741
478,340
194,869
255,578
162,938
71,075
361,446
45,403
32,031
24,943
3,063,320
5,215,744
41,586
95,622
747,919
652,297
$ 789,505
$ 747,919
S TA F F
Executive Director – Mathieu Chantelois
Director of Development – Ben Freeman
Director of Operations – Jaime Martino
Arts & Culture Manager – Taylor K. (TK) Gesner
Volunteer Program Manager – Matthew Halse
Office Manager – Pam Paulsen
Communications Manager – Victoria Schwarzl
Community Outreach Coordinator – Sachil Patel
Graphic Designer - Etienne Dicaire
Site Logistics Assistant – Alanna O’Connor
Production Manager – Sara Malabar
Technical Director – Heather Kilner
Yonge-Dundas Square Coordinator – Umu Sowe
Accessibility Coordinators – Nicole Cormier, Frank Folino
Pride Toronto Interns – Dua Ali, Alexandra Andriano, Olivia Kwiecien
Media Relations Assistant - Andrea Delgado
Bookkeeper - Kinga Wnuk
VOLUNTEER TEAM LEADS
Accessibility - Samanta Jaramillo, Marjorie Richards
Artist Relations & Hospitality - Elise Milani
Beverage Gardens - Dawn Allen, Francine Elliot, Kevin Martins
Blockorama - Craig Palmer, Nik Red, Syrus Ware
Clean, Sober & Proud - Sarah McDougall, Michael W.
Communications - Robert Carbonell, Ben Langille
Digital - Joey Fascio, Charles Kouri
Donations - Gabriella Foganholi, Michael Sin
Dyke March - Julie Jean, Al Stanton-Hagan
Environmental Sustainability - Atish Pereira, Tyler Talbot
Family Pride - Sallyanne Hadzalic, Kevin Stephney
Festival Outreach - Frank Folino
International Grand Marshall - Jacqie Lucas, Vijay Ramkumar
Media Relations/PR - Cole Douglas, Frances Sesay
Pride Events - Alyssa Abbassi, Lucas Beaver, Marc Lalonde
Pride Guide - Ben Langille
Pride Parade - Joanna Eaton, Justin Kusnir, Brent Simpson
Pride Week Partners - Michael Cramp
Programming - Bryen Dunn
Public Safety - Martin Kuplens Ewart, Hugh Switzer, Taylor Vanderwey
Research - Dave Kim, Eugenia Silina
Site - Matt Dobie, Jen Neilands, Nicole Rowan
Social Media - Ibrahim Hasan, Ferdinand Ngo
Streetfair - Amar Al-Sbayi, Amanda Gallant, Patricia Tucci
Trans* Pride - Christin Milloy, Luka Sidaravicius
Volunteer Food & Beverage - Brian Wilson
Weekend Volunteers - Calvin Barr, Amay Bhumak, Sara Psenicka
Welcomes Centres - Sarah Bang, Wendy Borrison, Jason Tonna
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Joey Fascio
Bavleen Kaur Saini
Indeana Underhill
Andrew Conlon
Olena Sullivan
Ruth Gillson
Paul Kinnis
Cecilia Chan
Najin Lim
Jay Han
Pierce McCleary
VIDEOGRAPHERS
Patrick Biller
Gwen Brydson