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A settlement has been reached on a human rights complaint of discrimination based on ancestry and race brought against a Canadian Tire Store in Saskatchewan by Kamao Cappo, a First Nations man.
The settlement includes a formal apology to Cappo from the store, and ensures that the store will develop training for its “members to properly serve customers of all backgrounds, with a specific focus on cultural competency training to strengthen relationships with Indigenous customers,” reads a statement.
On July 26, 2017 Cappo entered Canadian Tire Store #629 to purchase a new chainsaw. While at the Store, he was approached by a store manager who asked Cappo to leave. When Cappo asked why, an incident occurred which escalated and resulted in a store manager using physical force against Cappo.
Read more on this here: https://windspeaker.com/news/windspeaker-news/listen-kameo-cappo-says-t…
A joint public statement was released and reads:
The Store formally acknowledges the hurt suffered by Mr. Cappo as a result of the incident and the force used against him. Mr. Francois Brien, owner of the Store, formally apologizes to Mr. Cappo for the incident.
The Store recognizes that members of Indigenous communities in Regina have suffered and continue to suffer from incidents of actual and perceived racism. As a result, the Store has taken proactive steps to ensure that it can become an example for how to provide exceptional customer service to Indigenous customers. To that end, the Store has undertaken to develop organization wide training to train its members about how to properly serve customers of all backgrounds, with a specific focus on cultural competency training to strengthen relationships with Indigenous customers.
The Store remains committed to serving all members of the public. It is our hope that through this incident, and the training implemented, the Store will emerge as a stronger and more responsive organization that can better serve its customers.
Mr. Cappo expresses his gratitude to the Saskatchewan Human Right Commission and his lawyer Larry Kowalchuk for their support throughout. “I look forward to working with the Store in developing effective change to address racism towards Indigenous communities in Regina, and perhaps develop models for others in the retail industry. Mr. Cappo further stated: “I appreciate the response of Mr. Francois Brien and the good faith settlement we achieved. Most importantly, I accept his apology and say thank you”.
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission said the complaint was resolved in mediation.
“The Commission uses a restorative, face-to-face mediation model that invites party-driven resolution,” said David Arnot, chief commissioner. “It is a model that offers people the chance to talk, the chance to understand each other, and the chance to tailor resolutions to their own needs.”