New Expert Report Reveals Harms of Indigenous Consumer Racial Profiling in Canada; Report Submitted as Evidence in Canadian Tire Human Rights Complaint

Effects of racial profiling and need for Indigenous-specific remedies will be focus of BC Human Rights Tribunal complaint hearing against Canadian Tire, Oct. 27 – 31, 2025.

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 14, 2025 – The Heiltsuk Nation is releasing an expert report today on Indigenous Consumer Racial Profiling (CRP), as part of filings for a BC Human Rights Tribunal complaint against Canadian Tire that will be heard in Vancouver, Oct. 27th – 31st.

Authored by two of Canada’s leading human rights experts, Dr. Lorne Foster of York University and Dr. Les Jacobs of Ontario Tech University, Indigenous Consumer Racial Profiling in Canada: A Neglected Human Rights Issue identifies individual and collective harms of Indigenous CRP in Canada, and makes recommendations for Indigenous-specific remedies such as healing ceremonies, cultural safety training, and systemic data collection reforms, as well as noting the urgent need for further human rights-based study in the area.

The full report can be downloaded here. An executive summary is available here.

“Consumer racial profiling against Indigenous peoples in Canada is a critically important human rights issue that exacerbates intergenerational trauma and undermines reconciliation efforts,” said Drs. Foster and Jacobs. “Corporations like Canadian Tire must advance anti-racist practices in commercial settings and participate in Indigenous-specific remedies such as healing ceremonies when racist incidents do occur, if they are to meet their obligations under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

The report has been filed with the BC Human Rights Tribunal for an upcoming hearing of a complaint against Canadian Tire Corporation, Pagalis Sales Ltd. doing business as Canadian Tire Store 608, and Blackbird Security Inc. for incidents of alleged racial profiling and racism experienced by Heiltsuk members, Richard and Dawn Wilson, at a store in Coquitlam while shopping on January 17, 2020.

“We thank Drs. Foster and Jacobs for identifying the harms of consumer racial profiling that Indigenous people experience every day, but rarely report,” said Marilyn Slett, Chief of the Heiltsuk Nation. “As a Nation that strongly defends the individual and collective human rights of our members, we will hold Canadian Tire and Blackbird Security to account. Ultimately, we hope they will participate in a healing ceremony with our Nation as a form of positive and culturally appropriate restorative justice so that we can turn things around and make them right again.”

BMO executives took part in a Heiltsuk healing ceremony, known as a washing ceremony, in the Big House in Bella Bella in 2020, following an incident that made headlines when Heiltsuk members Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter were arrested and detained by VPD constables after a bank employee doubted the validity of their status cards and called 911. After the washing ceremony, Mr. Johnson, a renowned Heiltsuk artist, gifted a painting to BMO and visited the bank to meet with their staff to talk about his artwork.

Interview footage and b-roll of Richard and Dawn Wilson at Canadian Tire and spending time in their community garden is available for use by media here.

To arrange interviews:

Marilyn Slett (available 8:30am – 10:00am PST and any time after 1:00pm)
Chief Councillor
Heiltsuk Nation
250-957-7721

Dr. Lesley Jacobs (available between 6:30am PST and 11:00am, and any time after 12:00 PST)
416-908-3502

Dr. Lorne Foster (available any time after 8:00am PST)
416-573-4966

Ruben Tillman
Counsel for Heiltsuk and Richard and Dawn Wilson
604-908-0415

Andrew Frank
HTC Communications
604-367-2112