Man Must Pay $8000 For Saying Panhandler Should Be Shot

[DonLever]

Man must pay $8,000 for saying panhandler should be shot

Quebec human rights commission says man's actions were 'highly reprehensible'

CBC News

Posted: Aug 5, 2013 5:42 PM ET

Last Updated: Aug 5, 2013 6:57 PM ET

An email sent to the manager of a Montreal liquor store described a panhandler outside the store as an overweight drunk. (Google Maps)

A Montreal man has been ordered to pay $8,000 to a panhandler after an email he wrote complaining about her presence outside a liquor store was deemed discriminatory by the province's human rights commission.

The incident dates back to 2010 and started at an SAQ liquor store in Montreal's Ahuntsic neighbourhood.

The woman involved is in her 60s and suffers from a degenerative bone disease, which prevents her from working. She receives social assistance, but makes ends meet by panhandling outside of the liquor store for a few hours on Friday and Saturday evenings.According to evidence presented to Quebec’s human rights commission, the woman said she was always polite and never bothered anyone. She took adaptive transport to the Henri-Bourassa Boulevard store and made between $15 and $30 a day.

But one customer found her presence a nuisance and complained to the store manager in an email.

In that letter, the customer described the woman as overweight and a “drunk” with “no apparent IQ.”

Email suggested 'a bullet to the neck'

The letter goes on to talk about the city abolishing its prohibition on begging, and the problems he believed it has created. He then suggests five “solutions,” including one labelled the “Chinese solution” that proposes “a bullet to the neck and send the bill for the bullet to the deceased bum’s family.”

A customer service representative with the SAQ told the commission that he had seen hostile letters from customers before, but nothing like this one.

He consulted with legal services and was advised to contact the police. Montreal police said they couldn't take the complaint from a third party and that it had to come from the victim herself.

The SAQ then made the decision to share the letter with the woman, who was advised by the police to file a complaint with the commission.

The defendant argued that the letter was never intended for the panhandler and he had no intention of discriminating against her. However, the commission, referring to precedent cases, found the act itself violated her rights and the intention wasn’t relevant.

Woman sought $20,000

“Any ordinary person in the same situation as the victim, and anyone who was the target of these words, would have suffered a loss of dignity because of the contempt demonstrated by the defendant,” the decision reads.

The woman said she was “deeply hurt” by the letter and “couldn't believe another person could say things like that.” She asked for a total $20,000 in compensation.

The commission’s decision, released at the end of June, describes her hiding in her home with her curtains shut and her fear of the letter writer.

In the end, the commission ruled in the woman’s favour, calling the defendant's actions “highly reprehensible.“

It found that, through his email, the man had violated the rights of the woman and ordered him to pay the woman a total of $8,000 for moral and punitive damages

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[:D]

Ridiculous

[Monty]

I like Kramer and Newman's idea of using the homeless to pull around rickshaws, then they'll be useful.

[LostViking]

Terrible letter, but also a terrible legal decision to require $8000 compensation.

It will only be so long until someone on twitter/facebook/etc. comments that this guy should be the one with a bullet in his neck. Once that happens, he can simply start his own lawsuit, given that the precedent is clear. In fact, he can cite any internet backlash whatsoever as an attack on his dignity, potentially drawing thousands from the province into the lawsuit.

On a side note, I always felt the homeless should (on a volunteer basis only) be brought to garbage dumps and put to work removing recyclable materials from our waste facilities. A lot of them are already doing this on a small scale, it would be an incredibly valuable service, and they could get paid to do it.

[HTania]

Poor guy.

[terrible.dee]

So, free speech now costs $8000?

I better start saving up, this new world order is going to be expensive.

[Dogbyte]

Ha ha. It's funny to see this happen to this guy going out of his way to be a jerk those more unfortunate. Ha ha.

[мeтpо]

He shouldn't have been charged.

[Common sense]

So, free speech now costs $8000?

I better start saving up, this new world order is going to be expensive.

[Mr.Mulletandbars]

I once offered a homeless guy that I would see at the same 7/11 everyday begging for money a job. He politly accepted and seemed enthused but said he would have to start the next day. So I said great, I will pick you up here on my way in since I stop here everyday on my way. Never seen that guy again. Maybe he sued somebody for $8000 and didnt need the job after all.

[Offensive Threat]

The rulings of the higher courts in Canada have made it plainly clear that certain hate speech goes beyond the protection of freedom of speech/religion. In the US much of this hate speech would still fall into the freedom of speech category as they are more militant in their protection of freedom in this case ( strangely in other cases they give it away for nothing more than a faint feeling of being maybe slightly more safe)

[Offensive Threat]

I once offered a homeless guy that I would see at the same 7/11 everyday begging for money a job. He politly accepted and seemed enthused but said he would have to start the next day. So I said great, I will pick you up here on my way in since I stop here everyday on my way. Never seen that guy again. Maybe he sued somebody for $8000 and didnt need the job after all.

[Mr.Mulletandbars]

A lot of chronically homeless/destitute people have mental illnesses that keep them from being able to maintain a steady job or be integrated back into regular society.

[Mikey2Dope]

So, free speech now costs $8000?

I better start saving up, this new world order is going to be expensive.

[Kamero89]

So Canada does not have free speech? Good to know.

[Riviera82]

I found it interesting that the homeless woman wanted 20K in damages after she saw the letter. Those must be some pretty valuable hurt feelings she had.

[CB007]

Please write to the Toronto Police here that I need to be shot because I'm a (whatever you can come up with).

[nobbiep]

After Lawyers fees this woman will get here "spare change" ///because thats all that will be left

[Blue90]

She still needs to be shot...