EMO — The Township of Emo and its mayor’s decision to challenge the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario is “entirely unacceptable,” says Borderland Pride.
In an emailed statement, Borderland Pride, the pride organization for the Rainy River-International Falls area, said it was served with a notice of application for a judicial review on behalf of the Corporation of the Township of Emo and Mayor Harold McQuaker on Thursday.
The township is challenging the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s ruling that council’s decision in 2020 not to declare Pride Month was discriminatory to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The tribunal further ordered the township to pay $10,000 in compensation to Borderland Pride and for McQuaker to pay $5,000. The mayor and chief administrative officer were also to complete human rights training within 30 days.
The chief administrative officer has completed the training, but McQuaker has not, said Borderland Pride.
Borderland Pride garnished McQuaker’s bank account of the $5,000 after he “publicly disrespected the tribunal in the Toronto Sun and insisted he would never pay.”
“The funds, as far as we understand, were immediately removed from his bank account,” the organization said.
The judicial review application asks the court to overturn the tribunal’s decision that found the municipality discriminated against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
“The application reflects the far-right political obsession with the legal rights of queer and trans people,” said Borderland Pride. “It attacks the civil rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Ontario to access municipal services free from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. It attempts to conflate the personal political views and bigotry of members of council with the legal, institutional role of the municipal corporation in our communities. This is entirely unacceptable.”
“The decision to pursue judicial review by this council reflects their continued abdication of municipal leadership, their failure to promote community safety and respect for law and legal institutions, a blatant disrespect for taxpayers, and a tacit endorsement of weeks-long threats of violence against members of our organization,” the organization continued.
Borderland Pride emphasized it will continue to defend their rights and the rights of all 2SLGBTQIA+ people “to be treated without discrimination by public officeholders, regardless of where they live in this province.”
