Decision On Racism Complaint Months Away

Decision On Racism Complaint Months Away

Monday, November 07, 2005 at 13:13

 

 

A Moosomin band member says she’s not sure what good will come out of a human rights tribunal that she participated in this past Friday.

 

Three years ago, Marjorie Starr filed a human rights complaint against her landlords, Richard Strauss and Glen Olsen.

 

The two men are co-owners of Karcher Holdings, a rental agency in the city.

 

Starr told the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission that when she was evicted, Olsen made disparaging remarks about her ancestry — essentially saying Native people made the dirtiest tenants.

 

Olsen disagreed, and testified before the tribunal that what he actually said was that, in his experience, Native families generally put more wear and tear on housing because they often have larger families and frequent house guests.

 

He also stated many Native tenants did not get around to fixing damage they had caused.

 

Starr says it’s hard to say how the commission will rule, due to the conflicting views expressed in Friday’s proceedings.

 

Starr is demanding an apology from Olsen for his remarks.

 

A decision from the tribunal is expected in a few months time.