Ontario tribunal fines town for not observing Pride Month
A human rights court fined the town of Emo, Ontario last week for not officially observing Pride Month.
Emo is a rural township of approximately 1,300 residents near the Minnesota border. In 2020, the town’s municipal council rejected a resolution to recognize June as Pride Month and to fly a rainbow flag. However, Borderland Pride, an organization that promotes LGBTQ orthodoxy in several Ontario communities, was permitted to organize a Pride parade and carnival in Emo where they were welcomed by residents. There were no reports of Borderland Pride encountering any opposition or harassment from Emo authorities.
Nevertheless, since the town had not adopted a resolution honoring Pride or flown the Pride flag, Borderland Pride filed a complaint against Emo. Last week, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Emo taxpayers must pay Borderland Pride $10,000 in damages, with Emo Mayor Harold McQuaker ordered to pay an additional $5,000 from his own pocket. The tribunal further ordered McQuaker and the town’s chief administrative officer to attend a re-education course titled “Human Rights 101.”
‘We’re entitled’ to ‘services’
Doug Judson, a lawyer who serves as one of Borderland Pride’s directors, celebrated the ruling.
"We didn't pursue this because of the money. We pursued this because we were treated in a discriminatory fashion by a municipal government, and municipalities have obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code not to discriminate in the provision of a service," said Judson.
"The tribunal's decision affirms that. That is the important thing we were seeking here was validation that as 2SLGBTQA plus people, we're entitled to treatment without discrimination when we try to seek services from our local government."
All communities must observe Pride
It is unclear what “services” Judson is referring to, but he was open about the organization’s goal to force every jurisdiction to honor LGBTQ orthodoxy.
“Judson said one of the messages it sends to other townships and municipalities is that Pride needs to be in the smallest and most remote communities just as it is in larger cities, and in some of the places ‘where it can be really hard to help people understand why it's so important’,” CBC reported.
Emboldened by the ruling, Judson is demanding that Emo become an active supporter of all things Pride.
"Having a place like Emo as part of Pride and having leadership figures take part in Pride, it lends a lot of support to the movement,” he said. “It validates and legitimizes that the message is important for the entire community, and so we hope that that is the case moving forward."
