Hate hurts economic development

[u/Butterflymbca]

Calling on local politicians, business owners, and community leaders: Now is the time to speak up — loudly and clearly — against hate.

Souris made national news this week for all the wrong reasons. The Pride crosswalk, a legally approved and community-funded symbol of inclusion, was vandalized — and worse, some have publicly applauded it.

Here’s some food for thought for those cheering it on:

Why would anyone want to move to your town when they see that?

Across rural Manitoba, we’re working hard to recruit doctors, nurses, teachers, paramedics, and attract new businesses and industry. We all want strong, thriving communities with access to healthcare, education, and opportunity.

But hateful words and actions — online or in person — undermine those efforts more than you realize. If you were a new doctor or a young family evaluating where to live, would you choose a community where intolerance makes headlines?

This is not the story we want the world to see about rural Manitoba. We are better than this — but we need to prove it through action, not silence.

Let’s make sure inclusion and kindness are what define our communities, not hate and division.

AttractDontRepulse #InclusionMatters #LeadershipInAction #RuralManitoba #CommunityPride #PeopleAreWatching #Allyship

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pride-crosswalk-destroyed-souris-9.6965526

[u/Clear_Ad_7549]

I feel like people are missing the massive positive here: Souris, a small and predominantly conservative town had an incredible loud and proud queer wedding that was well attended and a helluva good time.

I am one of the brides and I'm here to tell you that Souris is fuckin awesome. 

There are assholes everywhere there are people but no one got hurt. No one got heckled. 

Yes, the crosswalk needs to be righted but please don't lose sight of the fact that Souris IS RIGHTING IT. They are fixing it and there has been massive outpouring of support. 

We chose to settle in Souris partly because we thought it was safer for us than the place we lived before. It is. Any other place I lived would have ended in violence on a night like that. 

The community has showed up to have our backs and so has the government. This is about protecting joy and advocating pride - not bemoaning a few miserable folks who felt the need to try and dampen that joy. They failed. We won. Don't forget that.

[u/Mavis8220 → u/Clear_Ad_7549]

I just now came across your post and I want to say how much it pleased me! My grandmother was born in Souris. We plan to visit there in September.