There's something about this time of year. The cold hasn't fully let go yet, but you can feel the shift coming — in the air, in the work, in the conversations happening across the country. Spring doesn't announce itself. It just arrives, quietly and then all at once.

That's a little bit what the last two months have felt like at The Enchanté Network. A lot has been moving — some of it heavy, some of it hopeful, all of it meaningful. This edition is our attempt to hold it all together and share it with you.

What We've Been Sitting With

On February 10, a shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC shook a community and sent ripples across the country. In the days that followed, we watched misinformation spread and harmful rhetoric take hold — much of it directed, once again, at trans and nonbinary people.

We want to say plainly: no community should carry the weight of one individual's actions. Trans and nonbinary people are not a threat. They are our colleagues, our members, our neighbours, our friends. They are valued and they belong — in this network and in this country.

If there are trans and nonbinary people in your life, check in. You don't need to say anything profound. Just let them know they are not alone.

— Tyler Boyce, Executive Director

A Movement Growing Into Itself

In February, something historic happened in Ottawa. Hundreds of Black 2SLGBTQI+ leaders from across Canada gathered at the National Arts Centre for the launch of Black Queer Canada — Canada's first research and policy lab dedicated to the unique, intersectional experiences of Black 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. The organization grew directly out of The Enchanté Network's Back to Our Roots work, and watching it step into its own has been one of the most affirming things we've witnessed in a long time.

This is what infrastructure looks like. This is what it means to move from consultation to action.

Read NOW Toronto's full feature on BQC and what comes next. →

And at that same gathering, Lisa Duplessis — director of programs and community services at The 519 — was honoured for nearly two decades of work supporting 2SLGBTQ+ newcomers and refugees in Toronto. As a refugee claimant herself who arrived in Canada in 2008, Duplessis has spent her career turning her own experience of starting over into a path others don't have to walk alone. Her story is worth your time. → Read Here

On Belonging, Safety, and Who Gets to Lead

Also this month, a piece arrived in our inbox that we think belongs in front of as many people in this sector as possible.

On February 27, Hope for Refugees International convened over 100 people — Pride organizers, queer refugees, frontline settlement workers, and policymakers — to sit with a question that too many organizations avoid: why do 2SLGBTQI+ refugees still feel unsafe, unseen, and tokenized within the very spaces that claim to welcome them?

Patrick King Mwesigye, Founder and Director of Programs at Hope for Refugees International, writes with clarity and care about what emerged from that gathering. The answers weren't about bad intentions. They were about structure — who holds power, who sets the agenda, who gets to decide. It's a challenging and necessary read for anyone working at the intersection of refugee inclusion and queer organizing.

→ Read the full article

We're Hiring — Help Us Spread the Word

The Enchanté Network is growing, and we are looking for two people to grow with us.

We are currently hiring for:

Manager of Programs — to lead our national programming portfolio

Policy Analyst — to support our public policy and advocacy work

Both positions are fully remote, based on a four-day work week, and include competitive benefits. If this sounds like someone you know — or someone you are — we would love to hear from you.

Applications close April 2.

→ View postings: https://www.enchantenetwork.ca/careers

Standing Together on Employment Equity

In January, The Enchanté Network — in partnership with Pride at Work Canada — released a public sign-on letter calling on the Government of Canada to modernize the Employment Equity Act and implement the recommendations of the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force.

For too long, 2SLGBTQI+ communities have been excluded from employment equity protections, even as trans and nonbinary people, Two-Spirit people, and Black, Indigenous, racialized, and disabled community members continue to face layered barriers to safe and affirming work.

The letter calls on the federal government to:

• Add 2SLGBTQI+ and Black workers as designated groups

• Centre intersectionality throughout the Act

• Strengthen data protections for workers disclosing equity-deserving identities

• Take other meaningful steps toward a more inclusive and accountable framework

Dozens of organizations signed on. If yours was one of them, thank you. If you have not had a chance to read or share the letter yet, now is a good time.

→ Read the letter

Join Us This Month

Two member events are coming up, and both are worth showing up for.

On March 18 (2–4 PM ET), we're hosting a Network Call on Plain-Language Messaging — a members-only space to work through our nonprofit messaging resource together, swap tools, and solve problems in community.

On March 19 (2–4 PM ET), our Funder Connect session spotlights the Laidlaw Foundation, with a focus on Ontario-based, youth-led organizations working with Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth. If that's you, this call was made for your organization.

Both events are virtual. Details on the members portal or reach us at info@enchantenetwork.ca

Spring is here. The work continues. We're glad you're in it with us.

Warmly | Chaleureusement, The Enchanté Network Team