HAMILTON, ON: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announces that lawyers funded by the Justice Centre have sent a warning letter to the City of Hamilton and Hamilton Police Service after the Mayor and local police used their public offices and influence in a series of efforts to prevent a political conference from taking place in the city.

The Dominion Society of Canada plans to hold its DomCon conference in Hamilton on August 29, 2026. The Society describes itself as a non-partisan advocacy group promoting Canadian identity, heritage, nationalism, immigration reform, and “remigration.”

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath stated that the City would not rent any City-owned venues to the Dominion Society. She then took the additional step of writing to local businesses to pressure them not to provide a venue for the conference.

This is not the first time Mayor Horwath has used her office to restrict a message she opposed. In August 2025, she directed that a billboard reading “Stop medical transitions for minors” be removed from City-leased property after calling the message “transphobic.” The group behind the billboard challenged the decision as a violation of freedom of expression.

This time, efforts to prevent the political gathering extended beyond City Hall to Hamilton Police Service. Darren Murphy, Acting Inspector in the Chief’s Office, stated that “Dom Con is not welcome in Hamilton.” Police then issued an extraordinary news release encouraging venues not to rent to the Dominion Society and asking members of the public to report possible venue bookings to police.

This move quickly drew criticism and ridicule online, with some Canadians dubbing the phone number a “snitch line” and questioning why police were asking the public to report the location of a political gathering despite police identifying no crime.

The warning letter states that the City and Hamilton Police deliberately used government power and influence to stifle political expression because they disagreed with its message. It calls the City’s refusal to rent City-owned venues to the Dominion Society a direct infringement of freedom of expression.

The letter warns Hamilton officials that similar government interference recently resulted in a finding of a Charter violation and more than $60,000 in damages. In Harvest Ministries International v. Proulx, the Quebec Superior Court found that Quebec’s former tourism minister violated freedom of expression when she ordered the cancellation of a government venue contract with a Christian organization because she disagreed with views associated with the event. The Court ordered more than $60,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre are calling on the City of Hamilton and Hamilton Police Service to immediately cease and retract their actions and commit to respecting the Charter freedoms of all Canadians.

Constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir said, “The City of Hamilton and Hamilton Police are using both direct action and their influence to exclude a viewpoint they disagree with from the entire city. This is unconstitutional and fundamentally at odds with the way a free and democratic society operates.”

The Justice Centre is Canada’s leading civil liberties organization defending Charter rights and freedoms in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion. Founded in 2010, the Justice Centre funds lawyers across Canada, relies entirely on voluntary donations to carry out its mission, and issues official tax receipts to donors.