Harvey’s Cancels Pride on the Pier After St. John’s Pride Partners With Palestine Action YYT

There’s controversy on a couple of fronts surrounding the upcoming St John’s Pride Parade, which will be led by Palestine Action YYT.

St. John’s Pride, which asked the pro-Palestinian group to lead the parade, is emphasizing their commitment to supporting the boycott and divestment of institutions from the broader Palestinian support movement.

Since 2021, Harvey’s Home Heating has hosted “Pride on the Pier,” a family-friendly celebration of the queer community in partnership with St. John’s Pride. However, St. John’s Pride informed them that a company affiliated with the Harvey Group could not fully participate in the St. John’s Pride Parade due to a directive from a third-party geopolitical activist group.

As a result, Harvey’s has decided to cancel this year’s Pride on the Pier event, and instead donate the $15,000 slated for the event to a non-profit that supports the LGBTQ+ community.

Chris Forward, general manager for Harvey’s home Heating, thought their event at the pier, which has a family focus, was making a meaningful difference.

Forward, a gay business leader, became aware of the companies on the black list a week ago, noting that it includes VOCM’s parent company, Stingray, CBC and Costco.

“I mean what Newfoundlander doesn’t enjoy drinking a cold Pepsi on a hot day or heading to Costco on a sunny day,” says Forward. He says there should have been consultation by the Pride Committee before signing on to such a movement.

A. Harvey says it regrets not being able to celebrate their many queer employees. They hope to be able to partner with St. John’s Pride in the future.