Montreal loses to Sydney, Australia in bid to host WorldPride 2023 | iNFOnews.ca
People wave rainbow flags during the annual Pride parade in Montreal, Sunday, August 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Montreal loses to Sydney, Australia in bid to host WorldPride 2023

MONTREAL – Sydney, Australia has beaten out Montreal in the quest to host WorldPride in 2023.

The Australian city captured 60 per cent of the vote, while Montreal received 36 per cent and Austin, TX got three.

Montreal's bid to host the international LGBTQ celebration was spearheaded by the organizers of the city's annual pride festival, which attracts thousands of tourists and brings in some $15 million annually.

Their submission included a four-minute video highlighting the city's diversity that ended with a brief cameo by Quebec superstar Celine Dion wrapped in a pride flag.

The host city is chosen by an international association of pride co-ordinators, and was announced Sunday morning in Athens, Greece.

Toronto became the first North American city to host the event in 2014.

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Parker Crook

Parker Crook is a Saskatchewan-born reporter who began his career in journalism while studying the craft at SAIT in Calgary. After cutting his teeth at the school news outlet as the Opinions Editor, Parker landed a position at a Vernon newspaper and worked his way up to the editor’s chair. Parker strives to tell stories that have a genuine impact on the community he calls home. And, from courtroom dramas to on stage antics, Parker believes meaningful stories can be found just about anywhere.

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