Richmond, B.C., considers banning Chinese-only signs amid uproar over city’s ‘un-Canadian’ advertisements
Last year, two activists appeared in front of Richmond City Council with a 1,000-signature petition and a plea to force local businesses to advertise in one of Canada’s official languages.
“We, the new visible minorities, are experiencing exclusion,” said resident Ann Merdinyan, in front of a slideshow of the city’s Chinese-only signs. “WHY?” read the caption below a photo of a Chinese-only bus ad. “Is this INCLUSIVE TO ALL?” read another.
Richmond’s mayor and councillors — most of them English-speaking white people — told the activists to take a hike.
