Pride flag 'violently ripped' down and stolen from Burlington, Ont. home
Laural Adams flies a Pride flag outside her Burlington, Ont. home every June for Pride Month. She does it to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ2+ community.
On Friday, her porch camera caught the moment the flag was stolen from her property.
“Somebody came to our house, violently ripped it down, smashed part of the light and took it,” Adams said.
“I’m proud to be an ally and it just made me really sad, because I thought we were moving in the right direction.”
She reported the incident to Halton Regional Police and contacted her local MP Karina Gould.
“Now, during Pride Month, it is even more important for us to acknowledge that we still have work to here in Burlington, in Canada to ensure a truly welcoming and inclusive community,“ Gould wrote in a statement.
Another Burlington resident, Christine Parkinson, had her pride sign stolen last month.
“A total of 11 flags were stolen from nine houses. Six flags were returned,” a Halton police spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement to CTV News Toronto.
“Some lawn signs were returned to residences last week, along with a note of apology,” the statement reads.
Police went on to say that the suspects have not been identified and investigators cannot confirm whether or not the thefts are related.
Adams says she hopes the incident will serve as a teaching opportunity.
“I hope other parents are educating their kids that this isn’t a funny teenage joke. This is actually a hate crime,” she said.
There has been controversy in the neighbourhood over flying a flag, says Adams.
It comes after a recent decision by the Halton Catholic School Board not to raise the Pride flag at its schools in June.
She got her flag from a non-profit organization called PFLAG Canada. PFLAG’s Halton chapter says they’ve seen an increase in demand this Pride month.
“We launched a Fly the Flag in Halton campaign and have sold 300+ flags in the region,” a spokesperson said.
Adams says she’s saddened by the situation, but the increase is “a good sign.”
“I think there’s good and bad to it, but hopefully the good will prevail.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.