B'Nai Brith honours North Bay mayor for standing up to racism
B'Nai Brith Canada presented North Bay Mayor Al McDonald with a certificate of merit Tuesday morning, honouring him for standing up to racism.
Last fall, students at École Secondaire Catholique Algonquin we're seen giving a Nazi salute. McDonald reacted immediately and said, "Hate has no home here."
McDonald told CTV News the whole city deserves the recognition.
"If didn't use my voice to speak out against hate and racism, then shame on me," he said.
"But let's not forget the Police Chief, Scott Tod who spoke out, as did members of council. So I'm very proud of my city and this award really is for them."
Officials with B'Nai Brith Canada said they hope an incident like the one in North Bay doesn't happen again, but said the way North Bay reacted goes a long way toward healing.
"People were concerned, people in North Bay genuinely cared," said Marvin Rotrand, national director, league for human rights with B'Nai Brith Canada. "They wanted to make sure the kids knew what they had actually done and the impact on that."
"Within days the community mobilized, the police launched an investigation, the school board worked with the students and staff and said we want the whole community to know we take this seriously and lots of citizens spoke out."
A recent motion at council also means North Bay will recognize Jewish Heritage Month every year in May.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.