MARKHAM, Ont. - A new form of harassment has surfaced against Asian-Canadian anglers over the last two months, the Ontario Human Rights Commission said Tuesday as it released the results of its probe into a series of assaults that occurred last summer.
A number of Asians, including two just last weekend, say they've been harassed by citizens who come up to them and ask to see their fishing permits and inspect their catch, commissioner Barbara Hall told reporters.
It all started after the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters posted a newsletter that contained a letter-to-the-editor urging members to question Asian-looking fishermen about their legal documentation.
"While this was framed in a message to welcome Chinese anglers, it invites people to focus on fishers because of their race and that is racial profiling,'' Hall said.
"We're starting to hear reports of people following the advice in that article... As long as this type of profiling activity continues, so does the potential for more harassment, more violence and more fear.''
York Region police Chief Armand La Barge cautioned that Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers and police are the only people who have the authority to make these demands.
Falsely identifying oneself as a conservation officer or a police officer is an office, he said, adding anyone approached in this manner should ask for identification and report the incident if the individual isn't able to provide it.
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters spokeswoman Lezlie Goodwin insisted the article does not reflect the views of the organization.
Calling it a "guest editorial'' by an individual member, she said it's since been removed from the organization's website.
"We believe that all anglers have a responsibility to ensure that they are following the law,'' she said.
"We do not suggest that an angler take the law into their own hands by challenging anyone directly... If they see what they believe to be an infraction, they can certainly call the Ministry of Natural Resources tips line or... they can certainly contact their local OPP detachment.''
The recent incidents were revealed the same day the Human Rights Commission released the results of an inquiry into some 30 cases in which Asian fishermen were pushed off bridges or docks or had their equipment damaged.
The probe was launched last November after at least eight Asian anglers were assaulted in various places in southern Ontario.
La Barge said charges ranging from criminal negligence causing bodily harm, to aggravated assault, to mischief were laid in a number of the cases which remain before the courts.
The commission's report confirmed the problem goes beyond mere allegations of illegal poaching, Hall said, adding police have actually found no evidence of illegal fishing in the cases it's investigated. Hall said it points to systemic racial profiling that often goes unreported.
It also found similar incidents have occurred in British Columbia and the United States, she said.
The report outlined some 50 commitments aimed at preventing incidents of assault and harassment in the future.
The commitments are the result of consultations with 21 community and government organizations and departments in different regions across the province. They range from promises to produce information brochures to assurances that conservation officers will be trained to recognize and deal with racial profiling.
Police in Georgina, Ont., where many of the incidents occurred, also launched a project this fishing season aimed at monitoring popular fishing sites for problems.
A continuation of a similar initiative launched shortly after the incidents came to light, it involves undercover patrols aimed at drawing out potential trouble-makers.
Last year, Asian police officers posing as fishermen said they were taunted within hours of initiating the operation with comments of "go home, you're not welcome here,'' La Barge said.
"Such incidents of hate have no place in this or any other community in this country,'' he said.
