Members and allies of High River's 2SLGBTQIA+ community are being targeted in a recent spike in hate crimes, which the town's Pride group believes may be related to recent political developments.
Three separate incidents targeting members of High River Pride were reported within a few weeks of each other in September and October, raising concern among the community and supporters.
"They’ve had their front windows smashed, their car windows smashed, their Pride flags torn down, and even a break-in attempt," wrote High River Pride in a statement.
"The Pride community solely exists to spread love and acceptance, and it’s disheartening to know that some people in High River hold so much hate in their hearts that they would commit acts of violence," the statement continued.
A video provided by High River Pride depicts one such incident, in which a vehicle with Pride symbolism on display had its windows smashed by an unidentified person on Oct. 10.
According to High River Pride president and founder Halle Minkler, acts of vandalism against members and allies of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are nothing new. What is sparking heightened concern, beyond the recent uptick in incidents, is that perpetrators appear to be targeting people of different age demographics and throughout different neighbourhoods.
"In the last year, it's really escalated... It's kind of all over town that it's happening, so we don't know if it's one person or two people or the same people or a group of people," said Minkler, who founded the organization in 2018. "It's pretty scary."
One repeat victim, High River resident Paula Elliott, shared further details.
“In May of this year, our Pride flag was cut down. We heard the front screen door open, and the culprits tried to open the front door. We had a guest staying with us, she was still awake and in obvious view of the open curtains. When she stood up, she saw two hooded individuals run down the front steps," said Elliott, a longtime ally of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, in her own statement.
"Two weeks ago, as we were preparing for bed, there was an outrageous racket of breaking glass. We rushed to the living room to discover that our front bay window had been smashed by what appears to be a hammer," she continued.
Elliott stated that she remains calm but on high alert following these incidents.
"Our resolve to stand firm in our allyship [of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community] is stronger than ever, and these hate crimes will not thwart our resolve to promote love, respect and acceptance of all people."
RCMP response and statistics
RCMP data indicates that property crime in High River is on the decline overall, including only two reported break-and-enters from January to June 2024, down 85 per cent from the previous year.
Data is not yet available beyond June 2024 and the publicly-available statistics do not provide information on reports of vandalism.
"The RCMP have apparently been very prompt and compassionate overall," said Minkler. "I was told by one of the folks that had vandalism that the RCMP said that they don't have the resources. She requested to have them patrol the area and they said they don't have the resources to do that."
RCMP Media Relations did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication.
In a 2023 statement, Alberta RCMP urged people to report all hate-related incidents following a spike in hate crimes province-wide, which included the vandalism of a rainbow crosswalk in Okotoks.
Statistics Canada data indicates that police-reported hate crimes have increased dramatically throughout Canada as 860 incidents were reported as directly targeting victims for their sexual orientation in 2023, marking an increase of 69 per cent from 491 incidents in 2022.
Of those nationwide hate crimes, increases were noted in public incitement of hatred (65 per cent), uttering threats (53 per cent), mischief (34 per cent) and assaults (20 per cent).
Possible connection to UCP policies
Minkler believes there's a correlation between the United Conservative Party's recent policies with regard to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the increase in hate crimes in High River, where Premier Danielle Smith resides.
"It just kind of feels a little too coincidental to assume that this is all random acts of violence and that it's not escalating due to those policies coming out," said Minkler.
While the UCP's website highlights its support of Pride through actions such as recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance and Pride Month, Minkler believes the party's policies have the potential to cause further harm in High River.
"These policies and these factors, the more that they are present, the more we're probably going to see these kind of behaviours normalized," said Minkler. "Bringing people out of the woodwork that maybe normally in the past wouldn't have committed acts like these, they feel emboldened to do so if the policies are reflective of those beliefs.
"I think it's just kind of a foreshadowing or a warning sign that we really need to pay attention to, especially when it's peoples and children's safety at risk."
The UCP welcomed MLA Jennifer Johnson — who had her UCP candidacy revoked in 2023 after comparing transgender students in Alberta classrooms to a teaspoon of feces in a batch of cookies in 2022 — into caucus on Oct. 9 following an internal vote by caucus members.
The UCP stated that Johnson, MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka, had met with 2SLGBTQIA+ Albertans and advocacy groups ahead of her reinstatement.
