Local church holds 'big influence' over Norwich, Ont. township that voted down Pride flags

On a recent weekday afternoon, the main street in Norwich Township was bustling with people chatting at the local cafe, eating at the deli or browsing through shops.

But residents say all that changes on Sundays, when the community in southwestern Ontario largely closes for the Christian day of rest, clinging to a practice generally abandoned across the province since the early 1990s when the government scrapped Sunday closures.

For locals, the Sunday quiet — and a recent controversial decision to ban Pride flags on municipal property — point to the outsized influence in Norwich of one church, the Netherlands Reformed Congregation.

"There's a big influence here from a certain religious group," said James Forrest, a professor at the University of Waterloo who has lived in Norwich Township for over 18 years with his family.

 "I know people that have tried to open businesses and be open on a Sunday and they've been visited by the minister saying, 'if you stay open on Sunday, you'll be out of business."'

The Netherlands Reformed Congregation, established in Norwich in 1949, sits in a well-tended building with a traditional spire, nestled in the township of 11,000 people that's surrounded by farmland.

Norwich captured attention last month when the local council voted 3-2 in favour of a motion to prohibit Pride flags on municipal property. Only the flags of the federal, provincial and municipal governments are now allowed.

The move came after the township saw several cases of vandalism last year involving Pride flags and banners in support of the LGBTQ community.

Coun. John Scholten, who introduced the motion, said he wanted to change the flag policy to "maintain the unity" of the community. Neither he nor Mayor Jim Palmer, who voted in favour of the motion, responded to requests for comment.

Colleen Bator was one of several residents who said she believed the Netherlands Reformed Congregation's beliefs may have influenced the council vote.

"That particular church is embedded in all facets of decision-making of the town," Bator said in an interview.

Church leaders did not respond to multiple interview requests from The Canadian Press. CBC London has also made multiple interview requests that have been declined.

The church website makes clear its opposition to LGBTQ rights, saying on its "beliefs" page that "any form of sexual immorality (including but not limited to homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God."

Tara King, another Norwich resident, said there is a "big divide" in the town between the church's members and others.