A Toronto councillor plans to ask colleagues to “suspend” a $260,000-grant for Pride Toronto’s annual parade, despite pleas for time to find consensus in a dispute over police participation.Councillor John Campbell said Monday he will ask council this week to withhold the grant unless Pride “reaffirms its core value of inclusivity” by scrapping a request that officers who march not wear their uniforms, carry weapons or use police vehicles.Pride made the request in January in response to demands from Black Lives Matter Toronto, which stopped the 2016 parade for about a half-hour accusing festival organizers of “anti-blackness,” and, in the past clashing with police and city hall over issues including carding.Campbell is lobbying potentially likeminded councillors to back him and figures at least 15 will do so. He would need a majority — 23 if all 45 council members are present — to amend a cultural grants item that will be debated at the council meeting starting Wednesday.“Whether the officers are straight or gay, the parade is a lot about being proud about your identity and what Pride has done is tell police officers to deny their identity,” Campbell (Ward 4 Etobicoke Centre) told the Star.“They can make any political statement that they want, but as soon as they come to the City of Toronto looking for money, they’re . . . (going) to be held up to scrutiny.”The Pride cultural grant is among 10 totaling $7,914,695 recommended by city staff. Others include $1.6 million for the Canadian Opera Company and $684,000 for the Art Gallery of Ontario.Asked why those grants don’t get as much scrutiny as Pride’s, Campbell replied: “Imagine if the Art Gallery of Ontario was bent on displaying art work from (Holocaust denier) Ernst Zundel or (schoolgirl killer) Paul Bernardo. You don’t think we’d have a say about that?”When told those hyp ...
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