Posters for ‘Whites-only moms and tots’ group found in Canada neighborhood stir outrage
Posters advertising a “Whites-only moms and tots” group were found in a multiracial neighborhood in Canada and sparked outrage.
The signs were spotted near bus stops and shopping malls in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam neighborhoods in British Columbia, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Vancouver Sun reported.
The posters invite white parents to “escape forced ‘diversity’ and join other proud parents of European children as we create an atmosphere in which our kids can feel like they belong,” photos shared by the @blackvancouver Instagram account on Sept. 24 show.
Screengrabs shared by Jas Johal, a host for the local CKNW Radio Show, on Twitter, now rebranded as X, show the organizer’s account on Telegram, a messaging app.
“We are encouraged by the response already and hope you can hang in there until we are all comfortable going in person,” White Tri-Cities Parents and Tots wrote in a Sept. 24 message.
The Telegram account “attracted about 200 members before it was shut down,” the Vancouver Sun reported.
McClatchy News reached out to the email on the poster on Sept. 26 but did not receive an immediate response.
Officials in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam condemned and criticized the posters.
The City of Port Coquitlam said in a Sept. 25 statement that it received reports of “a hate motivated poster” and “condemns this in the strongest terms.”
Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West said in the release, “bylaw officers immediately searched the area and all bus stops in the surrounding area, to remove the posters but no signs were present. Perhaps, it was removed by someone else in the community. This vile garbage isn’t welcome in our community, or anywhere else.”
City of Coquitlam officials expressed similar outrage, calling the posters “exclusionary and racist” in a Sept. 25 news release.
“We reject any attempt to create division or foster an environment where children are separated based on their racial or ethnic backgrounds,” the City of Coquitlam officials said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in both areas opened investigations into the incident and encouraged residents to report any more signs, the releases said.
Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam are neighboring areas near Vancouver and about 130 miles north of Seattle.
The neighborhoods are multiethnic and multiracial, according to 2021 census data from Statistics Canada. Combined, about 51% of residents identify as a non-white “visible minority” in the City of Coquitlam and City of Port Coquitlam, census data shows.
