OAN Staff Avril Elfie
12:05 PM – Sunday, December 1, 2024
A Canadian town is currently facing a $10,000 fine for refusing to participate in Pride Month or display an LGBTQIA+ flag on its town hall.
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According to the report, national post officeThe Town of Emo, Ontario, has been found by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal to be in breach of the Ontario Human Rights Act for refusing to declare June as Pride Month.
The town was also criticized for not flying an “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag,” even though Emo does not have an official flag pole.
In addition to the $10,000 fine, town employees were ordered to undergo mandatory “human rights” training.
According to the report, the decision to cite Emo stems from a 2020 incident in which the town was approached by a group called Borderland Pride, which wrote to Emo asking him to declare June Pride Month. The request was made.
The group's request also includes a draft declaration that states, “Pride is needed to demonstrate community support and belonging for LGBTQ2 individuals,'' and “Diversity in sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression is important to society.'' “represents an active contribution to the
Borderland Pride also asked the city to “fly the LGBTQ2 rainbow flag for a week of your choosing.”
The request was rejected by a 3-2 vote at a subsequent Emo Town Council meeting.
Mayor Harold McQuaker asserted that “there is no flag raised for the other side of the coin…there is no flag raised for straight people.”
Karen Dawson, deputy chair of the Human Rights Tribunal, said the comments were “degrading and disrespectful to the LGBTQ2 community of which Borderland Pride is a member and therefore amount to norm-based discrimination”.
She further argued that the decision was made in “very close proximity” to Mr McQuaker's non-vote on the Borderland Pride request, meaning it “constitutes norm-based discrimination”.
According to the report, Borderland Pride sought a $15,000 fine from the township and $10,000 each from three City Council members who voted against the group's request, but the court ruled that the final The township was fined $10,000 and the township was fined $5,000. For the muckaker.
McQuaker and Emo's chief administrative officer were ordered to complete the Ontario Human Rights Commission's Human Rights 101 online course and submit a certificate of completion to Borderland Pride within 30 days.
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