A well-known member of the Sault Pride committee is facing half a dozen criminal charges in the Ontario Court of Justice, with a hearing date set for next month.
According to publicly available court documents, Linsay Ambeault — a long-time advocate for the city’s Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBT2SQIA+) community — was arrested twice this past spring and charged with four counts of assault, one count of assault with a weapon and a single count of uttering threats.
Three of the charges stem from incidents that allegedly took place in March 2023. The remaining charges are related to incidents that allegedly occurred within the past six to seven years.
Ambeault has served as a member of the Sault Pride Committee since 2016.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and the accused is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
Sault Pride chair Amanda Zuke had no comment on the court matters when reached by telephone Wednesday.
“I’m not in the habit of commenting on things like this,” Zuke told SooToday, when asked about the criminal charges.
A voicemail left for Ambeault has not been returned. Her next court appearance is scheduled for August 21.
During an appearance by Ambeault’s lawyer July 17, the court heard that a counsel pre-trial — a closed-door meeting which provides an opportunity for litigators to hash out any issues or potentially reach a settlement — will take place prior to next month’s court date.
This summer’s Sault Pridefest kicked off Sunday with a flag-raising ceremony at the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre.
On July 13, the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce partnered with both Sault Pride and Village Media to host the Chamber's "Pride at 5" event, billed as a night of “allyship, collaboration and empowerment."