Nova Scotia·NewMembers of the historically Black community of Whitney Pier, N.S., say Ku Klux Klan costumes worn last year sparked anger but few consequences. Some are calling on the province to ban symbols of hate from public spaces and to create some level of accountability, such as the issuing of fines.Some calling on Nova Scotia to ban symbols of hate from public spaces Erin Pottie · CBC News · Posted: Oct 31, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesCape Breton fire dept. apologizes after 4 people dress as KKK at danceIt happened at a Halloween dance at the North Sydney Firefighters Club. Jason MacLean, the son of a retired firefighter who worked at the fire station, says the apology alone isn’t good enough.Members of the historically Black community of Whitney Pier, N.S., say Ku Klux Klan costumes worn last year at a Halloween party sparked anger across Nova Scotia, but they’re disappointed no measures have been taken to prevent a similar incident from happening again.Four people arrived at a Halloween dance at the North Sydney Firefighters Club in October 2024 wearing white robes and pointed caps. One of them was carrying a cross.In the weeks that followed, photos and videos of the costumes spread around the world, drawing condemnation. “I was just like, ‘How stupid do you have to be?'” said Selah Best-Bourgeois, a Black woman from Whitney Pier and a human rights advocate.The fire station’s deputy chief issued an apology on Facebook for allowing the costume wearers entry to the dance, while Premier Tim Houston said in a social media post that if the partygoers had been provincial employees, they would be fired. Police investigationCape Breton Regional Police conducted an investigation following the dance, consulting with subject matter experts and reviewing case law.“Based on the totality of the circumstances, this incident did not meet the threshold for a criminal offence that would result in charges,” said police spokesperson Desiree Magnus. Best-Bourgeois said the anger over the hateful incident seemed to fade and little concrete action was taken. “Very quickly it becomes something that just happened in the past and, ‘Oh, that wasn’t cool,’” she said. Pam Parris, another member of Whitney Pier’s Black community, agrees the shock over the KKK costumes quickly dissipated.“It was sort of forgotten about,” said Parris. “But this is when racism and prejudice rears its ugly head — when people do not think much of it.“If they thought wearing that kind of costume was fun, it isn’t. It brings back too many memories that people have lived through, that era of prejudice. Society shouldn’t have to put up with that. No one should have to put up with that.”Selah Best-Bourgeois, left, and Pam Parris are both from Whitney Pier, a historically Black community within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. (Submitted)Best-Bourgeois is calling on the province to ban symbols of hate from public spaces and to create some level of accountability, such as the issuing of fines.Last month, the federal government announced it was taking steps to address a rise in hate incidents in Canada, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, by strengthening its own hate crime laws.The new legislation proposes making it a crime to intentionally promote hate against identifiable groups through the wearing of certain hate- or terrorism-related symbols such as the swastika. Bill C-9, known as the Combatting Hate Act, has not yet undergone a third and final reading. Retired Dalhousie University law professor Wayne MacKay said that if passed, the legislation could impact anyone who wilfully wears hate symbols, such as KKK costumes. “I think certainly it makes it more possible that [Halloween costumes] might be prosecuted under the Criminal Code,” said MacKay. “Many people would say, ‘Well there’s no intent to do harm, it’s that kind of a season where you do outrageous things,’ something like that. “I think that argument would not succeed very well these days.”Best-Bourgeois said something needs to be done so that people are educated about the harms of hateful and racist symbols. She said wearing racist costumes is a sign of hate that should be stopped before things escalate. “I think legislation needs to be specific, and I think it needs to include costumes and other garb,” she said. MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORErin Pottie is a CBC reporter based in Sydney. She has been covering local news in Cape Breton for more than 20 years. Story ideas welcome at erin.pottie@cbc.ca.
One year later, no charges laid after Ku Klux Klan costumes worn to Halloween party
