Conversion therapy on city council agenda

By Kalinowski, Tim on February 8, 2020.

Lethbridge Herald

Lethbridge city council will be debating a motion during Monday’s public meeting to prohibit the advertising or business practice of conversion therapy in the City of Lethbridge, and to advocate for a total provincial ban on conversion therapy.

The motion, sponsored by Councillors Jeff Carlson and Rob Miyashiro, states its intent is to protect people in the LGBTQ+ community from risks of significant mental, emotional and physical harm by banning the practice within Lethbridge.

If passed, the local conversion therapy ban would follow similar municipal bans already passed in cities like Calgary and Edmonton.

The federal government is in the process of writing legislation which will ban conversion therapy in Canada and make it a Criminal Code violation if practised. The province has indicated it intends to work with the federal government on the issue.