Timmins Pride is embarking on a huge undertaking, looking for gaps in services for the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Northeastern Ontario.
The federal Department of Women and Gender Equality is putting up 125-thousand dollars for the study covering the Highway 17 corridor as far west as Sault Ste. Marie, and all the way north up the James and Hudson Bay coasts.
Timmins Pride president Matt Villeneuve says it deals mostly with mental health, education, medical and social services.
“We’re trying to figure out exactly what the gaps are,” he explains. “So that way we can fill them and if there’s already a service taking place, we’ll make sure to highlight it so that we are able to promote it.”
Villeneuve already has an idea of some gaps. He says his organization often hears from gays who aren’t in good relationships with their families; encounter issues at work; and experience discrimination.
“We’re finding that there’s a lot of stories that are coming through to us and we’re looking to find what we can do to be able to address those.”
A survey is on the Timmins Pride website until June 20th. The study also incorporates focus groups and what it calls “key informant interviews”.
