The Canadian Tire in Dartmouth Crossing on Friday. Photo by Ryan Taplin /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentThe human rights board of inquiry determined that a woman was a target of racial profiling while leaving a Canadian Tire store in Dartmouth, December 9, 2021.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentCharla Dorrington filed her complaint with the Human Rights Commission on February 16, 2022, against A J Acheson Sale Ltd., the franchise operator of the store at the time. She alleged she was discriminated against due to her mixed Black and Indigenous ancestry.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentAt the hearing on Oct. 28, board chair Eric Sloane found that in 2021, while leaving the store with her daughter and grandson, Dorrington was stopped by an employee and asked for her receipt.Article contentThe decision states that while other customers ahead and behind Dorrington were not stopped, she was asked and pressed in a way others were not. This behaviour was found to equate to racial profiling by the board.Article contentDorrington testified that she felt singled out and humiliated, particularly since other customers did not receive the same request. The decision documents said one customer apologized “on behalf of all white people” after witnessing the employee’s actions.Article contentThe ruling found that the employee’s conduct likely reflected a situation of conscious or unconscious bias amounting to racial profiling.Article contentThe store’s franchise operator A J Acheson Sales Ltd., which sold the store in 2023, did not respond to the complaint process or attend the Oct. 28 hearing, according to the decision.Article contentIn an order dated Nov. 6, the board directed A J Acheson Sales Ltd. to pay Dorrington $20,000 in general damages to be paid within 30 days of receipt of written notification of the settlement.Article contentIn his decision, Sloan called the case a, “a classic example of racial profiling.” Which he explained as, “’the practice of targeting a consumer for discriminatory treatment based on the consumer’s race, or ethnicity, or both.’”Article content
Human rights board awards $20,000 to woman in Dartmouth Canadian Tire case
