NOMINATE

INSPIRE Awards partners with Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce to celebrate 5 Canadians nationally with “Canada’s Inspiring Person of the Year Award”

November 21, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO, ON – – – Following 12 years years history of celebrating the inspiring work, good deeds and queeroes in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the Greater Toronto Area, the INSPIRE Awards will be bringing our community together nationally.

INSPIRE Awards is one of the Greater Toronto Area’s most beloved queer local annual events, and has just announced a partnership with Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), were the magic of a community uplifted will be shared across Canada.

Presenting “Canada’s Inspiring Person of the Year Award”. Five queer individuals from across Canada will be celebrated for their impact on their local communities, and will join the guests at the annual event in Toronto, via video live feed, to be honoured and thanked for their contribution during a special presentation.

“It has been a dream of the INSPIRE Awards board of directors for a while that one day we would celebrate the good work of our community on the national stage,” said INSPIRE Awards President

Antoine Elhashem of the partnership. “We have heard more times than we can count, at our annual event, from members of our local community telling us how this magic should be shared nationally, and here we are.”

“We are happy to partner with a great organization such as INSPIRE Awards,” said Darrell Schuurman of CGLCC. “When we celebrate and support even one individual in the community, the ripple affect that

this has can be tremendous. We see role models and leaders among us and it’s inspirational.”

The 13th annual INSPIRE Awards will take place on May 31st, 2025 at St. James Cathedral.

ABOUT INSPIRE Awards

Founded in 2011 INSPIRE Awards (www.inspireawards.ca) has become the premiere queer annual

celebration that brings guests together for an evening of inspiration, community magic, fantastic queer and allied hosts and entertainers, and memorable moments. INSPIRE Awards are presented as Community Partnership by a collective of prominent queer community organizations that include Pride Toronto, the iconic The Pink Pages Directory, Canadian 2SLGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, , Fife House,

Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, and Toronto Trans Alliance.