He's back.
Justin Trudeau marched in Vancouver's Pride parade in 2016 but not in 2017. On Sunday morning, the prime minister's office confirmed that Trudeau will take part in today's parade which starts at noon.
The prime minister and his family have been holidaying on Tofino. He was in Duncan yesterday and at Richmond's night market last night. He's also scheduled for a gathering in Delta today.
While his previous participation in Vancouver's pride parade garnered him positive headlines, pipeline protesters have been changing the narrative to this visit to the West Coast.
Avoid road closures by taking your bike to Pride and parking it with The Bicycle Valet on the corner of Beach and Bidwell! For more, read here: https://t.co/yFBRrUhJlN pic.twitter.com/cjfbvyV0Ku
— Vancouver Pride (@vancouverpride) August 5, 2018
Organizers and city staff have been busy enough preparing for the hundreds of thousands of people who will line the downtown route. Road closures have already begun. More streets, including side streets that lead to the parade route, will be closed as the parade start nears. Pacific Street off Beach Avenue will also be affected as the parade ends.
So, in a word: come downtown to watch one of North America's largest Pride parades, just don't drive there.
To make it easier for people who don't live downtown or in the West End, TransLink is increasing the frequency of the Canada Line, SkyTrain and Millennium Line. It's also put some bus detours into effect. Check for alerts here or follow them on Twitter.
#TransitAlert UPDATE: Vancouver Pride Parade 2018 August 5, 6:00am onwards detours for the 5 Robson/Downtown, 6 Davie/Downtown, 23 Beach/Main, 11am onwards for the 240 15St/Vancouver & 246 Highland/Vancouver https://t.co/dwY3EsWpf0 ^kv
— TransLink BC (@TransLink) August 5, 2018
The parade sets off at Thurlow and Robson and will continue down Robson to Denman Street before it turns south on Denman to Beach Avenue. The parade stops at Sunset Beach but not the festitivies. The Pride Festival at Sunset Beach keeps the party going.
It's free to watch the parade but keep an eye out for a giant rainbow flag carried Safeway's and Kwantlen Polytechnic University's fundraising flag-bearers. You're invited to toss a toonie into the flag. The monies raised help the Vancouver Pride Society pay for the parade and festivals, and also support non-profit organizations that provide services to LGBTQAI2S+ communities.
