The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed allegations of racist behaviour towards Asians at a UPS store. .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, an adjudicator stated that there was no evidence to support a woman's claim that she was cursed at and physically handled due to being suspected of having COVID-19..“There are credibility issues,” wrote Wilma Shim, the adjudicator in the case. .“The complainant’s claim that she was being targeted or that her Asian ancestry was the source of the respondent’s actions was not supported in the evidence.”.The Chinese-Canadian woman, testifying through a Mandarin translator, said she attended UPS Store No. 53 in Calgary in the first weeks of the pandemic when she was called a “Chinese bitch” and abused by staff..“I do not accept that the term ‘Chinese bitch’ was stated,” wrote Shim. .“While the complainant may hold a true belief that she was discriminated against due to her race, the evidence does not support this.”.According to the woman's testimony, an employee “started to yell” at her when she entered the UPS store. The employee accused her of having COVID-19 and then removed her from the store..The managers disagreed with the woman's behaviour, stating that she was argumentative and did not follow the UPS rules for accepting sealed packages and giving out receipts. They also mentioned that she “refused to leave the store.”.“It is clear a heated argument of some kind ensued,” wrote Shim. .“The matter became physical and I accept the complainant had to be physically removed from the premises.”.“The complainant was refused service,” wrote Shim. .“However, I find that this argument was not related to the complainant’s race but rather her lack of compliance with the store’s policy during COVID-19.”.The Public Health Agency of Canada from the outbreak of the pandemic said it was “concerned about the social anxiety, misinformation and discrimination in the Chinese-Canadian community with the coronavirus,” according to a Feb. 12, 2020, internal memo. .According to one advocacy group, there was a significant increase in hateful violence targeting Asians in the country..“In contrast to the image of Canada as multicultural and welcoming, many Canadians have been emboldened to use the pandemic as a license to exhibit hate and racism,” the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic wrote in a 2020 petition to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. .“Moreover, since the outbreak of the pandemic anti-Asian hate speech has proliferated on social media platforms fuelled by right-wing extremists who are using the pandemic as an opportunity to stir up racist ideologies.”
