Pride Toronto commits to 'rectifying harm' after findings of review

Toronto's Pride parade in the city's downtown core on Sunday, June 24, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Pride Toronto says it's committed to "rectifying the harm" caused by issues related to its management of federal grants.

The organization is apologizing for the problems uncovered by an independent third-party review, which found that Pride Toronto could not prove it completed several proposed projects after receiving $1.85 million in federal grants.

Pride Toronto, which organizes the city's annual Pride Parade, says it hired KPMG in October 2021 to undertake a "grant compliance review" of three grants received in 2018 and 2019 following allegations that the use and reporting of those funds "negatively impacted" the Indigenous community.

It says it also asked the accounting firm to provide recommendations to ensure Pride Toronto's processes "meet the highest standards" going forward.

Pride Toronto says it has reached out to funding partners who it "wrongly, and without their permission or approval, made false representations" about, claiming their support for Pride Toronto's grant applications.

It also says it has apologized to the Indigenous individuals and two-spirit communities it has harmed, adding it has requested to consult with them to find an "appropriate and acceptable financial resolution."

The organization says it's taking several actions in response to the review, including rectifying harm caused to Indigenous individuals and two-spirit communities and ensuring transparency by posting summaries of all awarded government grants on its website.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2022.