(Wingham, North Huron) Municipal candidates across Huron County are being asked where they stand on discrimination and organized hate — and North Huron Reeve candidate Stephen “Buck” Hill has now responded with an unequivocal condemnation of neo-Nazism and white supremacy, while also stating plainly: “White lives matter.”
The questionnaire was sent by No Hate in Huron, a grassroots organization that says it formed in August 2024 in response to white-supremacist propaganda and reported neo-Nazi activity around Goderich. Its origins were closely connected to controversy surrounding the “White Lives Matter” signs displayed along Highway 21. Contemporary local reporting confirms founder Patrick Corvyn cited the sign when explaining why the organization was created. Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre
The group asked candidates:
“If elected, how would you help your municipality and the wider Huron County community address discrimination and organized hate, including white-supremacist, white-nationalist, and neo-Nazi activity?”
Hill has now submitted his response.
Hill: Equality Means Everybody
Hill told the organization:
“I oppose discrimination, neo-Nazism, white supremacy, and organized hatred against any group. I also believe government must apply that principle equally, regardless of race, religion, sex, sexuality, ancestry, or political belief.”
But Hill went further, addressing an issue that has become controversial in Huron County:
“I also believe White lives matter, just as Black, Indigenous, Asian, gay and every other person’s life matters. Saying that should not automatically make someone a racist or a hater. Equality means equality for everyone.”
Hill said municipal government should protect residents against genuine threats and harassment while also defending fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression.
Can Three Words Alone Make Someone a Racist?
That question is worth asking because the phrase itself has played a major role in No Hate in Huron’s history.
Corvyn told Bayshore Broadcasting in 2024 that seeing the Highway 21 “White Lives Matter” billboard concerned him because he didn’t want visitors thinking Goderich residents were racist. No Hate in Huron later explicitly called on political leaders to denounce what it calls the “White Lives Matter movement” alongside neo-Nazi and white-supremacist ideologies. Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre
The Free Press makes a distinction.
White supremacy is an ideology. Neo-Nazism is an ideology. Being white isn’t.
Saying “White Lives Matter”, standing alone, literally says that white people’s lives have value. It does not literally say white lives matter more, that other lives matter less, or that anybody should be discriminated against.
Context can certainly change the meaning of words, and organizations are free to argue that the slogan has acquired associations beyond its literal wording. But people should also be judged on what they actually say and do rather than automatically having an entire ideology attributed to them because of three words.
The photograph accompanying this article shows the controversial Highway 21 display itself. It includes not only “WHITE LIVES MATTER,” but other political messages including “SAVE CANADA STOP IMMIGRATION.” That broader context is relevant when discussing this particular display.
White Lives Matter — and So Does Everyone Else
The Free Press position is straightforward.
Black lives matter.
Indigenous lives matter.
Asian lives matter.
Gay lives matter.
White lives matter.
None of those statements requires the others to be false.
If someone says “all cat lives matter,” nobody reasonably concludes that person wants every dog exterminated.
Likewise, recognizing the value of one racial group doesn’t logically require hostility toward another.
There is also an uncomfortable double standard worth discussing. If someone were asked “Do Black lives matter?” and responded exclusively with “all lives matter,” some people would interpret the response as avoiding the question.
Yet many Caucasians now appear reluctant to say “white lives matter” without immediately adding qualifications out of fear that the words themselves will result in accusations of racism.
Equality shouldn’t require one race to apologize for saying its members’ lives have value.
Condemn Hate — Defend Free Expression
No Hate in Huron has a documented history extending back to 2024; this isn’t an organization that suddenly appeared for the 2026 municipal election. It has openly described its work as encompassing community building, education and political advocacy. Rabble
Goderich Council also passed a resolution in October 2024 denouncing neo-Nazi activity following the organization’s advocacy. Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre
Candidates are therefore perfectly entitled to answer its questionnaire — or disagree with its framing.
Hill chose to answer.
His response concludes:
“Municipal government should not police lawful opinions or divide residents into preferred groups. It should protect everyone’s rights equally, condemn actual hatred and violence regardless of its source, and ensure every resident receives the same respect and municipal service.”
That’s the principle now on the public record.
Equality doesn’t mean some lives matter.
Equality means everyone’s do.