WARMINGTON: Mayor says he refuses to be bullied or pay fine for not flying Pride flag

Emo Township, Ontario , fined $ 10,000 for refusing to fly Pride flag at its town hall.

Emo Mayor Harold McQuaker , 77 , says he will not pay the fine and won't be forced to take LGBTQ training.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission ordered the town to pay a $ 5,000 fine.

The fine is expected to be decided Tuesday .

Borderland Pride co-chair and director Douglas W. Judson on his side of this debate: "This case is not about the “flag issue” Judson : "The actions of the council in 2020 fomented hateful and discriminatory attitudes in the community" McQuaker : "I consider myself a very reasonable person and a good leader for our community and I would have a lot of support if there was an election".

It was apparent at the time this offer was made that the municipality was looking to raise funds for its public library.

Emo council offered to settle the case for a nominal sum and donate a portion of those funds back to the library.

The drag story event was an attempt at moving past the misunderstandings in the issues and demonstrating that queer culture and inclusive programming, like drag story time events, are a positive contribution to the community.