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Mayor apologizes for Councillor Dogar's "hateful comments"

Last Updated Feb 4, 2022 at 1:05 pm MDT

PHOTO. RMWB Council chambers inside the Syncrude Athletic Park Clubhouse. A special meeting has been scheduled for March 27, 2020. MYMCMURRAY/Phil Wood

FORT MCMURRAY – Wood Buffalo Mayor Sandy Bowman has issued a statement apologizing for what he calls Councillor Shafiq Dogar’s “insensitive, inaccurate and hateful comments” made during Thursday’s budget meeting.

Here is Mayor Bowman’s statement in full:

“As Mayor of the region and on behalf of my Council colleagues, I’d like to formally and sincerely apologize to all Indigenous Peoples and communities in the region following insensitive, inaccurate and hateful comments made by Councillor Dogar earlier today during a public Council meeting for the 2022 municipal budget. We completely disagree with these comments and are shocked and saddened by what took place. 

During debate on a motion made by Councillor Cardinal regarding prevention and awareness initiatives for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S) Councillor Dogar appeared to have made reference to Indigenous Peoples residing in the rural areas and that they come to Fort McMurray to get drunk, fight, or have other legal issues. These hurtful and divisive comments are completely unacceptable, incorrect and difficult to comprehend. 

Unfortunately, and regrettably, due to a language barrier I did not fully understand the comments from Councillor Dogar at the time when they were made. Now, having opportunity to again hear the comments and in dialogue with Indigenous leaders in the region, I am truly sorry and shocked that our Council chambers – which I believe should be a place of reconciliation at all times – was the venue for these comments. 

As Mayor, I am formally committing to further Indigenous cultural awareness and sensitivity training and will be asking all my Council colleagues to join me in this training in a spirit of reconciliation, learning and healing. 

I also understand that Athabasca Tribal Council and others in the region are calling for Councillor Dogar to resign from Council. As Mayor, I do not have the power to unilaterally remove a democratically elected Councillor from office, however I will be joining in this call for Councillor Dogar to personally apologize and resign and will be discussing with Council our options as next steps. 

Indigenous Peoples deserve better.” 

 

Councillor Dogar posted the following statement on social media:

Hello my Town Family,
This statement is to address allegations levied against me of hate speech and discrimination. I would like to set record straight and tell the truth to people who elected me to represent them.
In today’s meeting, a fellow Councillor asked for $150,000 of funding for protection of ‘our’ people i.e. indigenous community. I urged the Councillor to refrain from using the terminology of ‘us’ vs ‘them’ as that is discriminatory in itself, in my opinion. Councillor’s appeal for $150K of taxpayers money was to save lives and in interest of presenting a healthy debate point, I challenged the Councillor that people dying have more to do with the geographic realities of rural indigenous communities vs urban areas. I said that due to large distances to medical/ essential services in rural areas vs urban areas, people are more likely to die. The example I choose to give was wrong! I said that a drunk person is more likely in die in rural area vs in town where there are gas stations in near vicinity to help a drunk person warm up and closer access to hospital/ essential services. In my mind, I didn’t equate indigenous community with alchololism or any bad actions. It was merely an example that popped in my mind and now I realize that I was wrong in using that example due to the unfortunate stereotype. For that I unequivalically apologize.
For what I wont apologize for is what Athabaskan Tribal Council and others int he region is protraying me to be. I never said or believe that rural indigenous community members come to town to get involved in immoral/ illegal activities. That is a bunch of lies! I request RMWB to release the video in its entirety so that people can decide for themselves. Dont have a short clip out so things can be taken out of context.
I understand that my verbal skills aren’t that great and may be in delivering my point, things were lost in translation. I am a person of visible minority and I can emphasize with the difficulties realities faced by our indigenous community members on daily basis. Some people in Council and outside are choosing to attack me because I choose to do my job for which people of Fort Mcmurray elected me for, which is to be fiscally responsible with taxpayers money.
I acknowledge that that example I choose to give was wrong and I sincerely apologize for hurting people’s feelings. My intention was never to target anybody or hurt anybody’s feeling.

 

The following is a statement from Athabasca Tribal Council:

“During the meeting Councillor Dogar publicly stated that he did not support the motion because Indigenous people in Wood Buffalo reside in the rural areas and only come to Fort McMurray to get drunk, or fight, or have other legal issues,” summarized Karla Buffalo, CEO for Athabasca Tribal Council. “This is hate speech. Wood Buffalo’s Council Chambers is a place for reconciliation, not harmful statements and division.” 

This statement was also factually untrue. According to the 2016 Canadian Census 5,195 Indigenous people make the Urban Service Area of Fort McMurray their home. “In his response we heard derogatory, prejudiced and outright racist comments.” continued Buffalo. 

ATC Calls Upon the RMWB to take the following actions: 

  1. We call for Councillor Dogar’s immediate resignation from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s council. 

  2. A formal apology on behalf of Mayor and Council be given to the Indigenous people of Wood Buffalo in writing and in a public Council meeting. 

  3. The entire RMWB Mayor and Council undertake within 30 days additional meaningful cultural awareness training specific to the First Nations of Wood Buffalo. 

  4. The video of this budget meeting in its entirety be released within 48 hours to the public. 

Fort McKay First Nation posted this statement on social media:
fort mckay
Statement from Fort McKay First Nation Facebook page