A local man trying to spread the message of unity and tolerance is hoping that Goderich Council will support his petition.
Goderich resident Patrick Corvyn made a presentation to council about the No Hate In Huron initiative, which is in response to apparent neo-Nazi sentiments spreading throughout the Huron County.
Corvyn says that he was concerned when someone had posted a sign along Highway 21.
“I saw the strangest thing on the Bluewater Veteran’s Highway,” he says. “A homemade billboard at the town entrance with the phrase ‘White Lives Matter’. We get a lot of visitors from all over the province in the summer. I didn’t want them to think that we’re all a bunch of racists.”
Although the person who owns the sign says they aren’t racist, the meaning behind it still can be considered so, as the phrase “White Lives Matter” is a white supremicist group.
Previously, Mayor Trevor Bazinet said in response to the sign that the OPP can’t demand it be removed, since it is on private property.
Corvyn started an online petition calling on community leaders and residents to condemn the ideologies, which has gathered more than 670 signatures.
He also says he was disenheartened when he found out that a neo-Nazi meetup had taken place in August in Goderich. The people who attended the meetup were members of two different groups from the United States, and another was from Quebec.
Corvyn says that neo-Nazi insignias are popping up throughout Goderich, including stickers for the Great Lakes Active Club. According to the Anti-Defamation League, groups calling themselves “Active Clubs” are inspired by European mixed martial arts groups who are united by white supremacist ideology.
“Along our beautiful boardwalk… I found something very ugly. I found recruiting stickers for a neo-Nazi organization: the Great Lakes Active Club,” says Corvyn. “I recognized the symbols on the stickers. I knew the Roman numberal of 14 and the bundle of rods and the axe all meant something really, really awful.”
According to sources, the Great Lakes Active Club is specifically committed to becoming “white warriors”.
To help garner inclusion and acceptance in the community, No Hate In Huron will be holding a Community Cabaret in Goderich on November 23, 2024.
Mayor Bazinet read a statement prior to Corvyn’s presentation, to set the tone for Monday’s meeting:
“The Town of Goderich supports the diversity of our residents, employees through inclusive programming, welcoming facilities, and customer service.
We embed equity into our work and culture through equity-focused policies and training.
Goderich Town Council is committed to building a community where members feel valued, respected, and welcome, and where hatred has no safe harbour.
We don’t support acts of hatred, and it does not reflect the town’s values which are grounded in inclusiveness. Our town needs to be a secure, safe place.
We have worked hard over the past several years as a community to recognize the importance of being a diverse and inclusive community. I am proud of our community for being accepting of all people.
Let’s continue to work together to be the best role models for our future generations to come.
Just this past Monday, September 30th, we recognized the importance of National Truth & Reconciliation Day. It is important continue our journey, well beyond September 30th.
We just heard our Land Acknowledgement statement, but we need to do more than just read the Land Acknowledgement statement, having deep-rooted conversations where we can continue to learn and understand from the Indigenous is so vital.
Our shared responsibility to protect all people and create the kind of world where everyone can thrive and walk together in a nice way.
Our world is divided in so many ways, and under Section 2 of the [Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms], Canadians are free to follow the religion of their choice and in addition, they are guarenteed freedom of thought, belief, and expression.
I think we – and when I say we, I mean everyone – can open their hearts and their minds and reflect on our surroundings. Look around and see the beauty that surrounds us, including the beauty of being a diverse and inclusive community.
If I had one wish, it would be for all of us to come together, and to listen, and [have] the willingness to learn what others have been through, and be accepting of each other.” – Mayor Bazinet