| THE FORCES OF ANTI-WHITE HATRED AND JOB DISCRIMINATION KNOW NO SHAME eA restaurant in Carman, Manitoba, is looking for someone to make pizzas, and as part of their hiring requirements, they listed a qualification that had nothing to do with cooking: being Indian.Ty SylvesterNov 12 Source: Juno News (Ty Sylvester)Breakaway Family Restaurant advertised for an “INDIAN PIZZA COOK” in a Winnipeg Marketplace Facebook group, saying it wanted an “Indian Individual with pizza making skills.”The posting specified that the employee would prepare regular pizzas served in Canadian restaurants. They even went so far as offering accommodation or living space to successful applicants. The ad has drawn criticism from residents who say the wording excludes qualified applicants based on their background. It also raises a legal question: can a Manitoba employer advertise an ethnic preference for a job that does not appear to require it?Under Section 14(3) of Manitoba’s Human Rights Code, employment advertisements cannot indicate that a protected characteristic is a preference, specification or limitation unless it is based on bona fide and reasonable job requirements. Section 9(2) includes nationality, national origin and ethnic background or origin among the protected characteristics.That restriction concerns what employers advertise, not merely whom they ultimately hire. The restaurant has not publicly identified a job-related reason an applicant would need to be Indian to make Canadian-style pizzas. No finding that the restaurant violated the Code has been made. sResidents reject ‘poor wording’ explanationThe advertisement attracted criticism in local Facebook discussions, including under a subsequent post by restaurant manager Megan Rimmer defending the owners.“This was way more than a ‘few words on a screen’,” wrote commenter Victoria LaLonde, arguing that the advertisement did not make everyone feel welcome.Commenter Paige Ellen said the wording effectively told people of other backgrounds not to apply. She also said the controversy was the deciding factor in her decision not to visit Breakaway. Another commenter, Ryan Sk, questioned why the owners had not addressed the issue themselves. “Maybe the actual family should apologize instead of an employee,” he wrote.Some commenters also pointed to an earlier AI-generated promotional campaign that had drawn complaints. Those grievances form part of the backlash, but the hiring language presents a separate question about employment law. Manager says owner did not approve adIn a direct exchange with Juno News, Rimmer said the restaurant is run by a family new to Canada and claimed the owners’ son published the ad without consulting them.“Their son posted that post without speaking to anyone about it,” she said.Rimmer insisted the family would consider applicants regardless of ethnicity. “They don’t care who applies, white, brown, purple, don’t matter to them,” she wrote, adding that the restaurant’s existing staff are white.Her account challenges the suggestion that the owners have a policy of refusing to hire non-Indian applicants. It does not, however, change what the advertisement explicitly requested.The Code also addresses employer responsibility for employees or agents. Section 10 provides that an employer may be responsible for a contravention committed by someone acting in the course of employment or within actual or apparent authority, subject to conditions concerning prevention and mitigation. Whether that provision applies here depends on facts that have not been established. Rimmer later published a public appeal asking residents not to condemn the family over one Facebook post.“I am not saying the wording of the post was right,” she wrote, while describing the difficulty of adjusting to a new country and operating a business.When Juno News asked whether the owners would publicly clarify that applicants of all backgrounds were welcome, Rimmer said she would prefer they not make another post because earlier advertising had attracted complaints.“It’s why I told them I would post and not to worry,” she said. That was the manager’s preference, not a confirmed decision by the owners.Breakaway, a longtime Carman fixture, closed in 2025 after operating in the community since 1998. The Carman Dufferin Standard reported that the former owner, Ferne Morgan, retired following the death of her partner, Barry Bracken. The restaurant subsequently reopened under new ownership.Carman Mayor Brent Owen declined to comment publicly on the controversy when approached by Juno News.Rimmer told Juno News the owners would be willing to speak directly. However, no response has been provided to Juno News as of publication. It will be added to this article should they respond. |