After the man was fired from the Crown corporation back in 2018 for racist comments to colleagues, a Regina Casino employee will not be reinstated to his job. After two racist arguments, the employee lost his job and tried to appeal the corporation’s decision but to avail. The arbitrator has stated that the gambling corporation will not reinstate him.
After being identified as “arguably racist” by his colleagues and complaints of racial remarks, the casino staff member would not get his work back at the Crown Corporation gambling venue. The now-former employee has worked as a dealer and acting supervisor for 10 years in the SaskGaming Casino, but his appeal to be reinstated was denied.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is represented by the former dealer and supervisor, and the union supported the appeal by saying that he strongly regrets the incidents and is ready to take corrective measures. Allen Ponak was assigned as an arbitrator for the case, but in a January hearing, he pronounced his decision that considering the man’s history, the firing was justified and his grievance was also rejected.
An Indigenous woman who appeared in the case alleges that the defendant told her to watch John Wayne Western films back in August 2018. Her response was that the pictures portray indigenous people’s negative stereotypes and tropes, to which the man replied with “get over it.” From the woman’s testimony, the arbitrators also heard that he proceeded with some other even more grotesque racist comments, which were considered highly offensive.
The exchange of words between her and the former employee left her “shaky,” according to the testimony, and later, after discussions, she agreed to file an official complaint against him. The defendant acknowledged in his testimony that his remarks were offensive and “totally unacceptable”. He wanted to give a formal apology to the woman, in his words, but his superiors stopped him after they ordered him to stay away.
The decision of Mr. Ponak saw the remarks of the man as borderline racist and also gave him the advantage of the doubt by further stating that they were highly insensitive. The arbitrator also claimed that it is difficult to understand how a man in such times can be so oblivious to the impact of his remarks on the woman.
Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby, B.C. has also been involved in a racial scandal. Siobhan Barker was a victim of racial profiling on her way out of the restaurant when she was stopped by security who demanded to check her belongings. The woman of color was detained from leaving for almost 40 minutes, after being accused by security that she might be in possession of alcohol or weapons.
Woodbine Entertainment initiates Trust 15 collaboration, which is a local charitable organization and the horse racing field also advocates for the rights of people of color. The group is taking over the social media pages of the racing operator on 22 July 2020 to raise awareness of working with the Rexdale community regarding the risks of daily life.
Entertainment is determined to inform the public on the never-ending anti-racism campaign and it is working on securing a better future for the youth.
