Ontario Mayor's Personal Bank Account Garnished For Not Celebrating Pride Month

Harold McQuaker is the 77-year-old mayor of Emo Township in Ontario, Canada. An LGBTQIA+ group called Borderland Pride sued him earlier this year, alleging that he "discriminated" against its culture by denying its request to proclaim June as Pride Month.

On November 20, the notoriously Marxian Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ruled that the township and McQuaker violated the Ontario Human Rights Code. Tribunal vice-chair Karen Dawson ordered McQuaker to take a human rights course about gay people and pay the LGBT group $5,000.

Dawson took particular issue with McQuaker not agreeing to fly an "LGBTQ2" flag, whatever that is, across the county – despite Emo not having an official flag pole. 

She also accused McQuaker of making a "discriminatory remark" during the town's council meeting about the flag request when he stated there was no flag for the "other side of the coin… for straight people."

Spectators of the parade greet the participant, who is being rolled on a cart at the 2022 Annual Pride Parade of Pride Month in Toronto on June 26, 2022. (Photo by Anatoliy Cherkasov/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

McQuaker publicly said that he would not pay the fine, calling the order what it so clearly is: "extortion." However, Borderland Pride then requested a court force McQuaker to pay, according to a Toronto Sun report.

"Mayor McQuaker’s comments in the Toronto Sun and other media were very clear that he did not respect nor intend to comply with the Tribunal’s orders," Borderland Pride said in an email to the outlet. 

"Consequently, it was apparent he would not voluntarily make payment of the damages ordered. We took immediate action to garnish his bank account."

And, according to reports, McQuaker's personal bank account was garnished on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ group for a total of $5,000.

Borderland Pride has since mocked seizing the money from his account, without his approval. 

"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?" the group posted on Facebook.

Let that be a warning to other mayors within the supposedly free country of Canada. Celebrate Pride Month, fly whatever flag the LGBT community demands you fly, and do exactly as it commands.

If not, your personal bank account could be garnished next.