Mayor awaits facts on allegations of racist firefighters

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This article was published 20/10/2020 (1782 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s too soon to say whether a serious allegation of racism means Winnipeg’s fire department requires more oversight.

That was Mayor Brian Bowman’s take on a story published in Tuesday’s Free Press reporting the allegations of a paramedic who accused two firefighters of refusing to help treat an Indigenous woman who had been stabbed in the throat earlier this month.

“I’m respecting the process will be reviewed by human resources professionals… I think we need to obviously provide them with that opportunity to do their jobs and to not weigh in politically without having all of the facts,” Bowman said.

The paramedic described a racially motivated incident in which he was left alone to care for the patient in the aftermath of having made earlier complaints about the participation of some city firefighters in racist online activities.

The allegations have not been proven.

Bowman noted a Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service review of the incident has already started and said that should be completed before politicians weigh in on the matter.

The review is needed, Bowman said, stressing he remains committed to combating racism in any way he can.

He may offer further comment once the review is completed, he said.

“As facts are determined and made available to us, if additional steps are needed, I would not rule anything out,” he said.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga