The Ottawa Police Service hate crimes unit is investigating complaints about two men who residents say have been distributing homophobic pamphlets in Centretown’s Golden Triangle neighbourhood.
Patrol officers responded to calls about Bill Whatcott, 44, and Darcy Grey, 41, who were passing out anti-gay pamphlets on Oct. 11.
Whatcott was fined for distributing similar materials in Regina and Saskatoon in 2001 and 2002, and was fined $17,000 by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, according to a report from the CBC. He refused to pay, arguing his rights to freedom of speech were violated.
“Christians have a right to speak to moral issues like homosexuality and I see it as specious to characterize all our speech as hate speech,” he told the CBC in an interview.
Ottawa police will not comment further during the investigation, said police spokesperson Cst. Marc Soucy.