Despite the less-than-ideal weather, a crowd came out Monday over the lunch hour for the raising of the Pride flag at Weyburn City Hall to kick off Pride Week celebrations.  

City councillor Ryan Janke said it is important for Weyburn to celebrate Pride.  

“The City of Weyburn’s vision statement says a community for all,” Janke said. “So in a world more divided than ever, I think it’s very important for all of us in Weyburn to make this a community that is, in fact, a community for all, where everyone’s welcome, and make it kind of a beacon of inclusiveness that we can all be proud of.” 

The events for Pride Week in Weyburn this year were organized by the Weyburn Pride Committee, which formed in the early spring. This is the first time in a number of years the events are being organized by a local committee, instead of being done in conjunction with groups such as Moose Jaw Pride or Queen City Pride. 

“We always want to see these things as grassroots and homegrown as we possibly can,” Janke stated. “Now, given the size of our community, sure, sometimes we’ve got to partner with Regina, sometimes we’ve got to partner with Moose Jaw, but we like to think that we can go at our own as much as we possibly can.” 

As for the crowd coming out and being willing to observe the flag-raising in the rain, Janke noted that is all part and parcel of who we are.  

“This is Saskatchewan,” he pointed out. “We’re never going to let the wind and the rain stop us.”