It was only a few years ago that Dr. Jordan Peterson warned us that Canada was descending into a realm of “compelled speech.” In other words, Canada under Trudeau is increasingly becoming a dominion in which contrarian opinions are simply not tolerated. And should you dare to voice “wrong thought” when it comes to the woke agenda, you will be demonized and even financially penalized. Sunny ways…

The latest example: the tiny township of Emo, Ont. (pop. 1,300) and its mayor, Harold McQuaker, have been condemned and fined by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) for not recognizing pride month.

This story begins some four years ago when an entity called Borderland Pride demanded that Emo officially recognize June as “pride month” and raise the multicoloured pride flag (even though Emo does not have a flagpole… but never mind…)

On its website, Borderland Pride bills itself as “the 2SLGBTQIA+ Pride organization for the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Koochiching County in Northern Minnesota and the Southeast of Treaty #3 territory.”

But for all intents and purposes, it appears that Borderland Pride is actually the hobby horse of activist lawyer (and former Emo resident) Douglas Judson. Judson and Kathryn Shoemaker launched a proceeding against the Township of Emo – as well as Mayor McQuaker and councillors Harold Boven and Warren Toles. This was due to Judson alleging that the mayor and the two councillors were allegedly “homophobic and/or transphobic” for not recognizing pride month in 2020.

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has ruled that the Township of Emo and its mayor, Harold McQuaker, discriminated against Borderland Pride by refusing a request for a Pride Month proclamation.https://t.co/f6QlzoYwUx

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 26, 2024

Fast-forward to 2024 and Borderland Pride – via its enforcer, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario – was successful in ordering Emo to recognize pride month. As well, the town was fined $10,000 and Mayor McQuaker was personally fined $5,000. McQuaker called this fine “extortion”. And get this: Borderland Pride has already removed the $5.000 fine – and allegedly $300 more – from McQuaker’s personal CIBC bank account! (Is anyone else experiencing déjà vu regarding what happened to donors of the Freedom Convoy back in 2022?)

Being a bad loser is one thing, but a bad winner is truly beyond the pale. Check out what Borderland Pride stated on its Facebook page after the unaccountable, non-elected HRTO rendered a decision in its favour: “Sure, sex is great, but have you ever garnished your mayor’s bank account after he publicly refused to comply with a Tribunal’s order to pay damages?”

Class.

Rebel News travelled to Emo last Friday to take in a special council meeting in which councillors would discuss the town’s next steps – i.e., appeal the ruling or bend the knee.

Alas, the meeting was closed to media and the public. At time of writing, we still don’t know what the decision was –assuming a decision was indeed rendered that day.

No one at the township would comment, including the Chief Administrative Officer.

WATCH: Ontario township ordered to bend the knee to Pride bullies — what's next?

We've travelled all the way to the remote township of Emo, Ontario. Headlines have been generated around the world over Emo, for all the wrong reasons.https://t.co/0mpFHQuaxI

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) December 13, 2024

We also ventured to the hub of the town, Cloverleaf Grocery, to do man-on-the-street interviews. Nobody would come on camera. However, off the record, everyone we spoke to said they supported Mayor McQuaker and condemned Borderland Pride and the HRTO as being “bullies.”

While it would’ve been helpful to get such comments on camera, we understand the reluctance. After all, with litigious LGBT-etc.-etc. activists like Douglas Judson, who’s to say that private citizens won’t be attacked and “disciplined” for wrong-thought?

Bottom line: when it comes to the hardcore members of the Rainbow Mafia, acceptance and tolerance is not enough these days. Now it is all about affirmation. And if one does not applaud these people, there will be blood.

In the meantime, in the department of “there’s plenty of blame to go around”, where the hell is Ontario Premier Doug Ford? Why hasn’t he commented on this outrageous ruling? Why isn’t he reigning in the HRTO? Or is Ford perfectly fine with the idea of Ontario devolving into a police state beholden to wokeness – or else?

Disgraceful.

Please chip in to help recoup the cost to send David Menzies and Lincoln Jay to the remote town of Emo, Ontario!

Emo Township is extremely remote — closer to an airstrip in Minnesota than any airstrip in Ontario — and due to a lack of accommodations, David and Lincoln had to sleep in an SUV last night. Operating on a very tight budget, Rebel News asks anyone who can to chip in to help cover David and Lincoln's travel expenses, so that this important story can be covered thoroughly.

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Sign the petition to demand the Emo Township Council stand up to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal!

1,554 signatures

Goal: 10,000 signatures

We, the undersigned, respectfully call on the Emo Township Council to stand up for its local community and push back against the heavy-handed demands forced upon it by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. We urge the Emo Township Council to refuse these unreasonable dictates and instead demand a more sensible, good-faith solution — one that upholds respectful dialogue and acknowledges the township’s practical limitations. Let’s show that small communities deserve a voice, not a costly ultimatum.

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