A City of Markham employee is being investigated after reportedly using the N-word while giving a guest lecture at a Toronto college.
According to the city, the staff member used the racist language during a case study presentation delivered to students at George Brown College on Wednesday.
Upon learning of the incident, the city says they immediately placed the employee on administrative leave and called a third-party investigator to review the situation.
“The City of Markham is committed to supporting diverse communities, and we stand firmly against all forms of hate, racism and discrimination,” spokesperson for the City of Markham, Bryan Frois, said in a statement to Now Toronto.
George Brown College is also aware of the incident and they have launched an investigation to prevent similar occurrences from happening again.
“This incident is harmful and can be a traumatizing experience for many of our students,” Dr. Gervan Fearon, president of George Brown College, said in a statement on Thursday.
“We acknowledge that giving embodied voice and life to the N-word and other racial slurs is completely unacceptable, inhumane and undermines efforts to create a safe and broadly supportive and inclusive learning environment. We condemn this behaviour in the strongest terms and are taking this matter extremely seriously,” added Fearon.
In response to the incident, the college is offering students from the class counseling support and will connect them with the Office of Anti-Racism, Equity and Human Rights (OAREHRS) to discuss the matter with a Human Rights Advisor.
“We are taking concrete steps to combat anti-Black racism on campus, including ensuring our employees receive Anti-Racism training, implementing a comprehensive and ongoing college-wide Anti-Racism Action Plan and signing the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion,” Fearon said.
