An Ontario mayor was reportedly fined for refusing to celebrate Pride month and had their bank account garnished as a result.

An Ontario, Canada township mayor's personal bank account was garnished after he refused to pay a $5,000 fine for discriminating against an LGBTQ group, as ruled by a tribunal.

On November 20, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ruled that the township of Emo and its mayor, Harold McQuaker, 77, had discriminated against an LGBTQ group by denying its request to proclaim June as Pride Month, in violation of the Ontario Human Rights Code. Borderland Pride had requested Emo make the Pride Month declaration and requested the township fly a "LGBTQ2" flag, despite Emo not having an official flag pole.

During the town council meeting, McQuaker made a "discriminatory remark" about the flag request, stating that there was no flag for the "other side of the coin… for straight people."

Karen Dawson, tribunal vice-chair, directed the township to pay a $10,000 fine and ordered McQuaker to attend a "Human Rights 101" course and pay a $5,000 fine to Borderland Pride.

McQuaker declared that he wouldn't pay the fine, referring to it as "extortion."

According to a Toronto Sun report, McQuaker was ordered to pay by Borderland Pride after a request was made.

"The Toronto Sun reported that Mayor McQuaker did not respect or intend to comply with the Tribunal's orders. As a result, it was clear that he would not voluntarily pay the damages ordered. In response, Borderland Pride immediately garnished his bank account."

Since then, Borderland Pride has posted several mocking messages about the mayor and his supporters on their Facebook page.

"Have you ever garnished a mayor's bank account after he publicly refused to comply with a Tribunal's order to pay damages?" read a post by Borderland Pride on Facebook.

McQuaker did not immediately return Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

In 2020, Borderland Pride requested that Emo declare June Pride Month, resulting in a ruling.

The group's request included a draft proclamation that emphasized the importance of pride in showing community support and belonging for LGBTQ2 individuals, as well as the positive impact of the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression on society.

The city was requested by Borderland Pride to display an "LGBTQ2 rainbow flag for a week."

At a later Emo township council meeting, a 3-2 vote defeated the request.

The Human Rights Tribunal vice-chair deemed McQuaker's comments about the flag as particularly offensive, stating that the remark was "demeaning and disparaging of the LGBTQ2 community of which Borderland Pride is a member and therefore constituted discrimination under the Code."

Planet Chronicle' Michael Lee contributed to this report.