Regina, SK – A candlelight vigil will be held tonight at 8:30 p.m. at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in memory of the victims of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting.
“The reason for the vigil is to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and start a conversation about violence towards the the GLBT community,” said Tim Hubick, Chair of the PSAC Regina Human Rights Committee. “These kinds of hate crimes affect our well-being, our families, our friends and our communities.”
Trent Wotherspoon, the interim leader of the Saskatchewan NDP, will also be speaking at the event. PSAC members collected 49 pairs of shows to display during the vigil, representing the 49 innocent people that lost their lives. Shoes will be donated to charity following the vigil.
The event takes place during the Queen City Pride Festival, held June 9 to 18, 2017 in Regina.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) represents more than 170,000 workers across Canada, including over 2,200 members living and working in Regina. PSAC’s Human Rights Committees (HRC) are comprised of PSAC members who self-identify as being representative of Racially Visible Persons, Aboriginal Peoples, Persons with Disabilities, or Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Persons. The HRC is mandated to advance and support human rights within the community.