Outrage over discrimination to ‘Status Card Users’
By Kelly Anne Smith
NORTH BAY – An ice hut rental business owner has been publicly shamed on social media for racially offensive remarks in an online ad.
A member of Nipissing First Nation saw a Kijiji ad on New Year’s Day and emailed the ad creator asking for it to be taken down because of discrimination to Indigenous Peoples.
The offensive advertisement was sent to Les Couchie of Nipissing First Nation Voices on Facebook who publicized the ad. The Facebook page of over 1700 friends became busy with comments of shock and outrage.
The ad had been available for public viewing since December 20, 2016. Sometime during the day on January 2nd the post was edited to remove the following discriminatory sentence.
“Please no status card users! You are not welcome in our huts. Equality for all or you will not get the time of day from us and will lose any deposit paid to us. Thanks, mgmt.”
Tom Willoughby Couchie asked IceHutRentals to take down the ad. Willoughby Couchie wrote to the business that he would report the blatantly racist statement. He received the following reply. “Thanks please do so. The sooner we have equality in our fishing rights and responsibilities regardless of the colour of your skin the sooner we will have peace and legality. You are in the minority, You want to continue inequality. Over my dead body. Marc David Hyndman CEO IceHutRentals.ca Incoming Honorable Minister of Natural Resources.”
An apology by Marc David Hyndman was posted on the Facebook page of Marc Rochefort on January 3. Many Facebook commentors have denounced the apology.
On Marc David Rochefort-Hyndman’s LinkedIn account, showing him holding a fish in what appears to be an ice shack, it states that human rights are a cause he cares about.
People have reposted previous offensive comments by the business owner that might be considered against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Treaty Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Mayor of North Bay Al McDonald criticized Kijiji for allowing racist comments to be posted and for the difficulty of trying to speak with a Kijiji representative. As for IceHutRentals, “They do not have a business licence from the city of North Bay. We do not have any jurisdiction on Lake Nipissing as that is the province and MNR. We are an inclusive community where everyone is welcome. This is racism and totally unacceptable. “
Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli called the ad despicable. “I was shocked and disappointed that anyone would write such a thing in a classified ad. It’s time for our community to come together and end any such discriminatory practices.”
Maurice Switzer, an Ontario Human Rights Commissioner and citizen of Alderville First Nation, sees the situation as an opportunity to educate Canadians. “I hope every resident of North Bay and the surrounding area wants to live in a community where this sort of comment isn’t made because people understand it is not appropriate.”
Switzer says tension comes up in the North Bay area with fishing issues on Lake Nipissing. “There are people that resent the fact that people from Nipissing First Nation have a Treaty right that gives them fishing opportunities that are not available to others.”
Switzer reminds that Treaties have a special place in the history of Canada. “If it weren’t for Treaties, Canada would not have been created in the peaceful way that it was. The permission was asked 250 years ago.”
Switzer explains that a situation as this is why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its recommendations included all levels of government. “The work has to start at the ground level. It has been suggested that each individual develop their own reconciliation plan.”
The man spotlighting the ice hut incident, Willoughby Couchie, says this is the first incident of racism to really upset him. “I have sent a complaint to Ontario’s Human Rights Commission. This guy has to be punished for the kind of hate he is posting.”