Manitoba

Brandon pride flag raised, then lowered to half-mast to honour Orlando shooting victims

A small crowd gathered in Brandon on Thursday morning to witness the raising of the pride flag.

Rainbow flag goes up during the city's Pride Week

About two dozen people gathered in the rain outside Brandon city hall Thursday to witness the raising of the pride flag. (Riley Laychuk/CBC)

A small crowd gathered in Brandon on Thursday morning to witness the raising of the city's pride flag.

About two dozen people braved the pouring the rain outside Brandon city hall to mark the event.

The flag was raised at 10 a.m. after remarks from Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest and Brandon Pride chairperson Ken Jackson. It was then lowered to half-mast to honour the victims of the mass shooting at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla., last week.

The flag raising was held just one night after more than 100 people attended a vigil for the victims outside Brandon city hall.

This week is pride week in Brandon. The city's second-annual pride march takes place Saturday.