Guelph candidate resumes campaign after online review controversy
A candidate for Guelph city council, who announced he was withdrawing his candidacy earlier this month after screenshots of online reviews linked to his Google account surfaced online, is back in the race.
In a statement posted to his website Friday, Thai Mac said he was resuming his campaign effective immediately and would be “focusing on making up for lost time.”
On Sept. 8, Mac announced he was withdrawing his candidacy after screenshots of half a dozen online reviews attached to his Google account were posted to Twitter.
In one of them dated to five years ago, Mac rated the store ‘Urban Planet’ two stars calling it a “gender neutral clothing haven.” A screenshot of another comment posted 10 years ago about store in Stone Road Mall reads: “hit or miss on guys stuff. Lots of stuff for gays apparently. :(”
On Friday, Mac claimed the “distasteful reviews” were dug up by people connected to one of his political rivals. Their amplification by anonymous online accounts resulted in a deluge of harassment, threats and racist comments against him, he said.
“Regardless, I understand how my previous comments may be hurtful to the LGBTQ+ community, and please know that they never came from a place of hate,” Mac said.
“I have since had the wonderful opportunity to reflect and meet with the Chair of Out on the Shelf, of which Guelph Pride is a subsidiary of,” Mac continued. “Through conversation and kind words of encouragement, I am committed to growing and furthering my positive impact on our community.”
OUT ON THE SHELF RESPONDS
Out on the Shelf (OOTS) Chair Barry Moore told CTV News Mac reached out with an interest in partnering with the organization.
“Ultimately we can not and do not endorse any political candidates, and so we declined the offer of partnership,” Moore said in an email. “In the interest in serving the queer community, since Thai may resume a position of power in Guelph, I did then recommend educational resources Thai could pursue if he wants to learn more about the queer community here and find ways to support.”
Moore said as Out and the Shelf was not involved in Mac’s statement, he can’t claim to know his thought process, “but I do believe that is what he meant by ‘kind words of encouragement.’”
“I personally felt safe and comfortable enough to meet with him and have this discussion, and naturally did so in a kind and professional manner,” Moore continued. “I think given the statements he made in the past, I could understand why someone would in this situation not feel comfortable, but given that I was, myself and the OOTS board felt it could be useful to hear what he had to say and at least provide recommendations so that if he does resume a position of power he can hopefully learn and grow. Whether or not he pursues those resources is now in his hands.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.