'Appalling' video of students burning Pride flag taken from Huntsville, Ont. school under investigation
Ontario Provincial Police and the Trillium Lakes District School Board are investigating after a video was posted to social media of a group of teens removing a Progress Pride flag from a Huntsville, Ont. school and setting it on fire.
The school board said the incident that happened at Huntsville Public School was "hate-motivated vandalism."
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Trillium Lakes District School Board (TLDSB) called the six-second video an "appalling and hateful act."
The board went on to add, "This incident has caused harm in our community. An act of injustice against the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual plus (2SLGBTQIA+) community is an act of injustice against us all."
The school said it recently reported another act of vandalism at the playground but said it isn't clear if the mischief is related, adding the flag is in the same vicinity as the playground, and both events involved fires.
Shawn Forth, with Muskoka Pride, reacted to the video stating, "We are deeply upset and shocked that a Progress Pride flag from a Huntsville elementary school was burned by some young individuals."
Meanwhile, provincial police said they believe the incident may have happened on Thursday last week.
The OPP said it had identified the students whose ages range between 14 and 16. Their identities are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
No charges have been laid at this point. However, the OPP said it would be up to the Crown Attorney to decide what consequences could follow.
The Progress Pride Flag was created in 2018. It adds a five-coloured chevron to the original Pride Flag to represent all racialized people and transgender identity to be more inclusive and progressive.
This is the first year schools with the TLDSB raised the Progress Pride flag in celebration of Pride month.
The board said the flag was immediately replaced.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.