Mammoliti and Co. refuse to take yes for an answer in Pride Toronto funding debate

Later this afternoon, Rob Ford’s executive committee—a panel made up of the mayor’s closest allies on council—will address a staff report on the Pride Toronto/Queers Against Israeli Apartheid controversy that the city just won’t let die. According to the report, Pride won’t be breaking any laws by letting QuAIA march in the parade this year, which, really, is a non-starter, given that QuAIA says they aren’t planning on marching, anyway. But Ford and Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti are still insisting that Pride won’t receive a cent from the city if the group decides to march. It seems to be a case of Ford and Mammoliti refusing to take yes for an answer.

The Toronto Sun has the story:

Mammoliti is adamant that Pride must guarantee the group will not take part in any aspect of the week-long festival if it wants funding.

He’s asked Pride to provide a letter making that guarantee. Mammoliti said so far, Pride hasn’t agreed to those terms.

“I’ve given them another chance, I’ve said, ‘Go back and think about it, talk to your lawyer, do what you have to do,’” he said.

It’s a little rich for Mammoliti to say he’s giving pride “another chance” when the whole issue centres on a group that isn’t breaking any laws in a parade that’s also not breaking any laws. It’s a good thing that this same group isn’t participating in this same parade, otherwise there would be a lot of laws not being broken.

Already today, Councillor Paula Fletcher asked, in a roundabout way, if Pride’s funding would be in peril if someone showed up with a QuAIA T-shirt on. Ford suggested that was a question for another time—this afternoon, perhaps? The Pride discussion officially starts sometime after 1:30 p.m.

• Pride funding controversy heats up [Toronto Sun]