Interval House offers bus ride to Ottawa for Take Back the Night march at 6 p.m.
CARLETON PLACE – Carleton Place will once again host one of the country’s most recognized rural Take Back the Night march events, with a 2025 event that carries added urgency.
The annual Take Back the Night march will be held Thursday, Sept. 18, beginning at 5 p.m. at Town Hall Square Park, behind Carleton Place Town Hall. A condensed program will feature a vigil, speeches and the local march before participants head toward Ottawa.
The route, for the Take Back the Night march, runs down Bridge Street to Lake Avenue, where a free bus will be waiting near the Farmers’ Market. The bus leaves no later than 6:15 p.m. for Parliament Hill. Those who prefer can continue marching back to the park.
Lanark County Interval House and Community Support (LCIHCS) has organized the rally saying that by joining allies in Ottawa this is a chance to show the federal government how much support women have, and to protest a proposed 80 per cent cut to wage funding for women’s organizations. They warn such cuts would have serious consequences for the services and programs women across Canada rely on.
“This is about standing together at a time when women’s safety and rights are under pressure,” the update said, pointing to increased rates of intimate partner violence in Lanark County, Ottawa and across the country, as well as high-profile cases such as the Hockey Canada trial and ongoing struggles in the United States.
Participants are encouraged to wear purple or LCIHCS swag. Shirts will be half-price for those taking the bus, with items available all week at As Good As New in Carleton Place.
Since 2006, Carleton Place has drawn one of the largest rural turnouts in Canada for Take Back the Night. Even on rainy evenings, hundreds have joined with banners and noise-makers to demand that women’s right to walk safely be upheld.
Take Back the Night is a global movement calling for women’s right to live free of violence and walk without fear.
For more information visit Take Back the Night | Lanark County Interval House and Community Support.
Catch all the latest Carleton Place news — from council meetings to community events.
