Hamilton Mayor, Police Force Advise Venues Not to Host Dominion Society of Canada

A group that refers to itself as a pro-“remigration” organization says it has found a new venue to hold its event in the Hamilton area after several venues cancelled its bookings and the Hamilton Police Service put out a press release against the event.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath and the local police have advised venues against hosting the Dominion Society of Canada for its Aug. 29 DomCon26 conference.

“While people are free to express their views, our community must also be clear about the values we stand for and are proud of: inclusion, respect and ensuring that everyone feels they belong in Hamilton,” Horwath wrote in a letter to different venues.

On Aug. 27, Hamilton Police Service said in a press release that they are “aware that the Dominion Society of Canada continues to seek venues within Hamilton” to host the event, despite telling media it would be moving the conference outside of the town. The statement said while an alternate booking had been secured at another Hamilton venue, it was cancelled earlier in the morning.

“Hamilton Police continue to encourage venues to consider the impact this event and its messaging may have on the broader community when making decisions about hosting it,” the police service said, adding that anyone with information regarding a Aug. 29 venue booking should contact them.

Conservative MP Andrew Lawton said that while he has “significant issues” with the Dominion Society, he is “unaware of any criminal allegations against them or any credible suspicion their conference would be illegal,” and questioned why the police force is getting involved.

“It is not for police to target venues who may wish to rent space out to a group who is breaking no laws,” Lawton said, adding that even speech that might be “objectionable or disagreeable” should not be “chilled.”

The non-profit legal organization Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms said on Aug. 28 that lawyers funded by it have sent a warning letter to Hamilton and the Hamilton Police Service, taking issue with them taking  “direct action” and using “influence to exclude a viewpoint they disagree with from the entire city,” which is “at odds with the way a free and democratic society operates.”

The Dominion Society’s website says its Aug. 29 DomCon26 event will feature Canadian and international speakers in the Hamilton area for a “day of powerful speeches, honest conversation, and genuine community.”

The group describes itself as a nationalist group focused on promoting Canadians of English, French, Scottish, and Irish heritage, and immigration reform that would entail an immigration moratorium and the “remigration” of 5 million–9 million immigrants back to their home countries.

Daniel Tyrie, founder of the Dominion Society of Canada, said that the organization has been able to find an alternative venue that is “100 percent behind us,” and that he believes no protesters will arrive to disrupt the conference. However, he said a protest event is set to happen outside Hamilton City Hall.

“This event is going to go on, and is going to be even better than when we originally planned it,” he said.

The Hamilton Police Service did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment by publication time.