SOLVENT RULES RAISE RACISM COMPLAINT

Native Woman Angry Store Refused To Sell Hairspray

An aboriginal woman believes she was unfairly victimized by a
political push to stop the sale of solvents to addicts and wants a
public apology after a clerk refused to sell her hairspray.

Roxanne Monkman, 35, said she believes she was targeted because she is
native.

"I was angry and embarrassed and hurt and I feel she did this because
of who I am, an aboriginal woman," said Monkman, who is second from
the top of her class in a business program at the Aboriginal Centre.
"I had never been ashamed of my nationality before, and it didn't feel
too good."

Politicians are currently debating a bill that would fine, and even
jail, retailers who sell solvents to people who use the products to
get intoxicated. There have been fears, however, that racism could
result as front-line staff decide the touchy matter of which customers
to refuse.

On Wednesday night at the Extra Foods store on Notre Dame Avenue,
there was a textbook example of the worst that could happen. Just
before 7 p.m. Monkman and her 13-year-old niece went to the store to
buy groceries -- coffee, orange juice, toothpaste, shampoo. Monkman
has been doing her shopping there for the last year.

She said the clerk scanned all her items but set her can of hairspray
aside.

When Monkman asked why, the clerk replied, "I can't sell that to
you."

"She probably thought I was going to drink it," said
Monkman.

When she pressed the clerk for a reason, Monkman was referred to a
security guard who in turn told her to talk to the store manager.

"He (the manager) just looked at me and listened to what I had to say
and then walked away. He didn't say a thing," said Monkman. The store
is owned by Westfair Foods. Monkman has written a letter to their
office in Winnipeg, asking for a public apology.

Staff there refused to comment, referring media inquiries to Westfair
offices in Calgary, where a Westfair spokesman said the company is
investigating the matter. He would not comment further.

But Monkman said she got a call yesterday afternoon from Extra Food's
district manager who offered an apology for the incident, which he
said was "uncalled for" and "inappropriate." The district manager said
he would contact Monkman with the results of the investigation.

Monkman said she felt better after the call, but still wanted a
written apology.

The mother of three has also written a letter to the province's human
rights commission.

George Munroe of the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg said cases like
Monkman's are less common now than they were a few years ago. It's
tough to prove allegations of racism, but Munroe said Monkman's
treatment was "totally unacceptable."

It's been a thorny problem for politicians and lawmakers in terms of
balancing the rights of individuals while at the same time trying to
ensure that sniff addicts and others aren't buying products simply to
get high.

Sniff and solvent abuse products, everything from household cleaners
that contain alcohol to hairspray, rubbing alcohol and glue, are
popular choices for addicts because they are cheap and they are more
readily available than alcohol and drugs. Winnipeg North Centre MP
Judy Wasylycia-Leis has already introduced a private member's bill
that would allow fines up to $10,000 and six-month jail sentences for
retailers found guilty of selling solvents for the purposes of
intoxication.

That bill is opposed by the Manitoba Metis Federation, which says it
could result in discrimination against aboriginal people buying
hairspray and solvents for legitimate purposes.

Wasylycia-Leis said she couldn't comment on the specifics of Monkman's
case but said that her bill is designed to crack down on retailers who
knowingly sell products to addicts.

"Obviously everybody is trying to do their part and no one want to
prohibit legitimate sales to anyone because of discrimination," said
Wasylycia-Leis. "Clearly we do not want retailers to take the law into
their own hands."

Manitoba passed a law last summer that allows the province to revoke a
dealer's licence from a business caught selling sniff to addicts.