Letter to Jamie Heffer: newly appointed Warden of Huron County
Dear Warden Jamie Heffer,
As the founder of No Hate in Huron, I offer you my congratulations on your recent appointment to the position of Warden of Huron County.
As you are likely aware, No Hate in Huron began in August 2024 with a petition (attached) in response to ACW Township resident Gord Leamen’s sign on Highway 21 promoting the name of a recognized neo-Nazi hate network. That petition was received and supported by Huron County Council on August 14, 2024.
I note with admiration that the Huron Chamber of Commerce wasted no time in proactively denouncing Gord Leamen’s racist display:
https://huronchamber.ca/statement-regarding-displays-of-racism-in-our-community/
Since then, an online petition has taken its place, continuing our call for local leaders to “to fully and unequivocally denounce neo-Nazi ideology and white supremacy in all of its forms, including the White Lives Matter network.” This petition can be found at change.org/nohateinhuron.
Also since then, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network reported on a neo-Nazi meetup that occurred in Goderich in August 2024 with individuals arriving from the United States, Quebec, and across Ontario. The link to that report can be found here:
https://www.antihate.ca/us_neo_nazis_visit_canada_meeting_white_supremacist_active_clubs
To date, no elected official or governing body in Huron County has explicitly and unequivocally denounced neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideology, including the White Lives Matter movement. To their tremendous credit, Goderich Town Council did issue a robust anti-hate statement but fell conspicuously short of our clear request. Today marks precisely four months (or 122 days) since the issuance of our original petition.
When I first wrote this petition, I had naturally assumed there could be no easier task for any Canadian official than to explicitly denounce neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideology. How disturbingly wrong I was. It has been horrifying to be politically represented by three elected officials at the same time who refuse to denounce neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideology. I describe this in my recent interview with the CBC:
The No Hate in Huron movement enjoys widespread and tremendous support from across Canada. Our online petition stands at nearly 1000 signatures.
I have attached an endorsement of our movement from Huron County Pride, which echoes our denunciation of neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideology.
I have also attached an endorsement of our movement from the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities.
I have also attached an endorsement of our movement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in which he states: “Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups have no place in Canadian society.”
It is that easy to say.
Warden Heffer, I hope you will publicly issue an official statement that clearly denounces neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideology, including the White Lives Matter movement.
Your predecessor chose complicit silence on this matter and that will forever shape his political and personal legacies.
No doubt emboldened by the silence of local leaders, Gord Leamen has continued to add additional signs to his property: the most recent one an especially strident xenophobic and hate-filled message.
Continued silence from local elected leaders on this matter is damaging and harmful to many individuals and communities who call Huron County home. I will be updating our online petition with a public copy of this correspondence. I implore you to stand on the right side of history.
Our county and our country are watching.
Sincerely,
Patrick Corvyn
Founder, No Hate in Huron
I, Patrick Corvyn, am a resident of Goderich and Huron County.
I strive for a world in which all people are free to pursue joyous lives without fear of harassment, cruelty, or violence.
I celebrate and cherish diversity, inclusion, compassion, and courage.
I unequivocally denounce white supremacist, Nazi and neo-Nazi ideologies in all their original and modern forms, including the White Lives Matter movement.
I call on our local leaders to do the same: change.org/nohateinhuron