The Bow Valley Pride Network is a group of businesses and organizations committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusivity in Banff, Canmore, and the Bow Valley as a whole.

Our goal is to assist our community in creating better and more sustainable safe spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. This means fostering a more accepting, diverse, and inclusive environment in Banff, Canmore, and the Bow Valley.

Finding places to eat, stay, shop, and live in the Rockies that are safe, inclusive, and welcoming to all, no matter your gender, orientation, or presentation – it shouldn’t have to be rocket science. 

The Bow Valley Pride Network aims to provide resources for queer-friendly businesses in Banff and Canmore, nurturing the safe spaces that already exist and guiding the development of new ones.

What our members commit to

The Bow Valley Pride Network is a group of businesses and community organizations that value creating safe spaces for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and have worked to meet the following guidelines:

  • Physical spaces within the building are gender-neutral and include permanent washroom and/or change room options.

  • We do not assume the sexuality of our guests or staff. We will not include sexuality innuendos in signage, menu items, or merchandise. We do not assume relationship status.

  • We do not make gender assumptions of our guests or staff. Our employees are trained in inclusive, gender-neutral language.

  • We celebrate non-binary individuals by removing gender from our pricing, events, and products - or by not limiting these to “men and women”.

  • Individuals may have an appearance and attire that differs from societal expectations. We explicitly welcome all individuals and focus on behavior, not appearance.

  • We recognize that gender diverse people may need extra care when handling IDs or legal forms. We are trained to act sensitively in these situations.

  • We have prominently displayed 2SLGBTQ+ inclusive messages in easily visible locations. We are proud of our supportive and inclusive culture.

  • We work to stay up to date on the needs of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and provide new information for our staff when it becomes available. We learn from our mistakes and work to correct them.

  • We train our new staff in our inclusive values and share our Values Statement with them early in the training process. We recognize that 2SLGBTQ+ folks are often asked to educate others. We commit to take this on as much as possible.

Ideally, no one would have to ask: “Am I welcome as a queer person at this establishment in Banff”, or “Is this business in Canmore a safe space for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community”.  

Our vision is that one day diversity, equity, and inclusion will be the status quo for all – and until then, the Bow Valley Pride Network will be supporting the development of queer-friendly safe spaces, businesses, and community organizations throughout Banff, Canmore, and the Rocky Mountains.

In fostering this inclusive, safe, and welcoming community, we’re aiming to create an interactive map of the Bow Valley that includes each member of the Bow Valley Pride network and every other safe and welcoming space for queer folks in the Rockies. 

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