Publisher and editor face hate charges

TORONTO • The editor and the publisher of a controversial Toronto publication are facing hate- related charges, one of which has never before been laid in Ontario.

James Nicholas Sears, 54, and Lawrence ( Leroy) St. Germaine, 76, are each charged with two counts of wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group, namely Jews and women, Toronto police said Wednesday.

Ontario Attorney Gen- eral Yasir Naqvi said it is the first time in the province that hate-crime charges have been laid alleging the wilful promotion of hatred against women.

“In a multicultural and inclusive province like Ontario, the promotion of hatred stands in direct opposition to our fundamental values of equality and diversity,” Naqvi said in a statement. “Hate crimes are, by their very nature, serious offences.”

Toronto police said they received numerous complaints about Your Ward News between March 2015 and June 27.

Last year, the federal government ordered Canada Post to stop delivering Your Ward News after the thenminister of public services and procurement found it “highly offensive and well outside the norm of Canadian values.”

The publication, which is posted online, routinely contains articles critics say target women, Jews, Muslims and the LGBTQ community.

Jewish groups are commending police for charging Sears and St. Germaine.