After a human rights commission fined a rural township for “discrimination” after voting not to recognize June as Pride Month, its mayor is refusing to capitulate to the move he called an act of “extortion.”
According to the Toronto Sun, Mayor Harold McQuaker of Emo, a rural township of about 1200 on the Ontario-Minnesota border, is taking a stand against the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s decision that Emo would have to pay $10,000, plus $5,000 from him, to Borderland Pride, a local Pride organization.
The tribunal found McQuaker’s tie-breaking vote to refuse to declare June as Pride Month to be discriminatory ordered him to pay the fine and undergo LGBT training.
McQuaker did not respond to True North’s requests to comment, although he told the Toronto Sun that he would not capitulate to the demands of the pride organization and tribunal.
“I utterly refuse to pay the $5,000 because that’s extortion…and will not take the training,” McQuaker told the Sun Monday. “I did not do anything wrong. If anybody needs training, it’s the LGBTQ2+ to quit pushing their weight around and make demands that people can’t live with..”
He called the demands “unfair” and rejected the claims of those labelling him a “bigot,” saying he’s a reasonable person and a good leader who would likely have a lot of support if an election were held.
As reported by True North last week, the tribunal found the other two councillors’ votes to reject Borderland Pride’s verbiage to declare Pride Month not to be “discriminatory” as their reasons cited were based on the language used or the lack of an updated municipal policy on flag raising and declarations.
The defeated motion included that the township would recognize that “diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression represents a positive contribution to society and is a matter for our community to take pride in, show its support, and celebrate.”
Borderland Pride, the group that filed the claim against the municipality and its councillors, successfully argued that a proclamation from the city or a flag-raising constitute municipal services, making it discriminatory to not offer them to a particular group based on a protected ground, such as sexual orientation.
Borderland Pride told True North Tuesday that the mayor’s statements and refusal to abide by the tribunal decision were “disturbing and inappropriate.”
“What we are seeing is a public temper tantrum from a public office holder who has been emboldened by the pattern of attacks on institutions and the rule of law from the political right,” the Pride group said.
Borderland Pride said McQuaker could be sanctioned further for not complying with the tribunal’s order.
“It is very clearly beneath the expectations and requirements of his office,” the organization said.
The group argued that the decision was “entirely reasonable and defensible” and was backed up by 30-year-old case law, which the group used in its lawsuit against the township and mayor.
“The mayor is the author of his misfortune. He has had four years to come to terms with the risks that he would have personal exposure in this proceeding. He refused all offers to resolve the matter that would have spared him that liability,” Borderland Pride said. “We are not going to re-litigate a legal matter in the media now that the mayor is unhappy with the outcome.”
The township is scheduled to vote on whether it will pay the $10,000 fine accosted to it on Tuesday.
The Township of Emo did not respond to True North’s requests to comment.