Thousands of people gathered in downtown Kamloops on Sunday, August 25, to celebrate and support the 2SLGBTQPIA+ community at the Annual Kamloops Pride Parade. Employees from New Afton Mine participated, marching alongside a decorated engine from the Fire and Mine Rescue team for the second year in a row.
“The most impactful moment of participating in the Pride Parade was seeing so many of our employees marching together in support of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Dave Hamilton, Mine Manager, who attended the parade for the first time this year. “It was a powerful experience that highlighted our shared commitment to creating an inclusive environment.”
The first parade was held in New York City on June 28, 1970, to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – a response to the police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan. This event is widely considered the catalyst for the modern 2SLGBTQPIA+ rights movement, and over the years, Pride Parades have been held across the globe. New Afton has sponsored the event in Kamloops since 2023.
“For me, Pride is an important celebration of diversity, but more than that, it is an opportunity to demonstrate my allyship,” said Renata Mrema, Sustainability Analyst at New Gold. “As a mother, I teach my child that we all belong, and I view my participation in the parade as an opportunity to live out these values in a meaningful way.”
Eight employees joined the parade last year – a number that nearly doubled this year. This increase in participation demonstrates New Afton employees’ dedication to supporting and showing up for the local community.
