Support for conversion therapy ban, but no bylaw yet

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Town of Strathmore received support for a potential prohibited business ban on conversion therapy through a public engagement process, but no bylaw is being drafted for now.

A resolution proposed during a February 2020 Committee of the Whole meeting directed town administration to draft a bylaw to prohibit the business practice of conversion therapy, which refers to approaches performed to attempt to change or influence a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Many national and provincial professional associations and regulatory colleges oppose these practices as harmful, including the Canadian Psychological Association, Canadian Psychiatric Association and the College of Alberta Psychologists. A potential bylaw would be aimed to protect marginalized individuals and demonstrate Strathmore’s values as a welcoming community, said Geoff Person, Town of Strathmore communication strategist, in an email.

In response to this resolution, a six-week engagement period was held from mid-August to the end of September to inform people of the goals of a potential conversion therapy bylaw and collect feedback. This approach included a survey and requests for written responses. Results from this process were presented to council and an in-person engagement session was held during the regular council meeting on Oct. 7.

During the in-person engagement session, four members of the public voiced opposition to the proposed bylaw, while no one spoke in favour of it. However, the majority of written responses – received in greater numbers – were made in support of a bylaw.

The town received 184 written responses, of which 157 were from people identifying as being from Strathmore. Of these, 115 provided additional comments regarding the practice. Overall, 77 per cent of respondents said they were in favour, while 20 per cent voiced opposition to it, said Person. Three per cent said they were neither for nor against the bylaw.

On Oct. 1, the government of Canada announced the reintroduction of proposed legislative amendments to the Criminal Code that would add five offences related to conversion therapy, including profiting from and advertising for conversion therapy. However, there is no clear timetable for the bill or guarantee that it will pass, given the current minority government in Ottawa. 

Town council could ultimately decide a bylaw is not necessary if this federal bill gets passed, and they felt the criminal prohibitions it provides would effectively ban conversion therapy as a potential business practice in Strathmore.

For now, council voted to accept the report as information, but no motion was made to direct administration to draft a prohibited business bylaw based on the feedback received. Mayor Pat Fule and Councillors Lorraine Bauer, Tarri Cockx, Melanie Corbiell and Jason Montgomery said seeking a bylaw to be tabled for first reading this month would be premature.

“The Municipal Government Act does allow us to make decisions based on protecting and securing the health of a municipality, but we want to make sure that we do the absolute right thing, so we are going to take more time on this,” said Mayor Pat Fule.

There is the possibility of additional public consultation being held, as requested by Bauer, though this has not yet been confirmed, said Person. The Town of Strathmore will share any public engagement activities with the public as soon as they are confirmed, he added. Regardless, Councillor Bob Sobol said any additional correspondence on the matter that administration or any council member receives from the public could be forwarded to council for consideration.