Canadian Tire worker who threw out Indigenous man accused of theft no longer an employee

A Canadian Tire employee seengetting physical with an Indigenous customerrefusing to leave a store in Regina is no longer with the company, a spokesperson says.

"The employee involved in the matter has not been working in the store since the time of the incident and he is no longer with Canadian Tire," saidJoscelynDosanjh, the company's manager of corporate communications, in an emailed statement to CBC News Saturday.

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Dosanjh did not specify the circumstances around the employee's departure and whether the employeeresigned or wasfired.

Videotaped tussle

KamaoCappo, an Indigenous elder, said he was shopping for a chainsawwhen theemployee accused him of stealing.

GRAPHIC LANGUAGE WARNING: Altercation inside Regina Canadian Tire

7 years ago

Duration 2:06

A Regina man posted a couple of videos online following an altercation at a Canadian Tire store.

Cappodisagreed and refused to leave the store. He posted two videos to social media that show theexchange with theworker growing increasingly heated.

At one point, the employee is seen pushing Cappoup against a shelf.He then pushed him toward the exit, with Capposliding on his feet.

"We have attempted to reach Mr. Cappo again this morning to express our sincere apologies. We wish to again state that we have taken this matter very seriously," Dosanjh's statement read.

'Step in the right direction'

Cappo said the fact the employee is no longer at the storeis a "step in the right direction."

"If they had left him there, that would send out the message that, hey, they support [these]acts of violence against Indigenous people."

"To get him out of there so he doesn't harm any more people is the best thing."

Legal action

Cappohas filed an assault complaint, hasspoken with a lawyer and isnow considering legal action given the company's response to the incident.

He said a store owner left a message for him on Saturday. Cappoalsoposted a previousconversation with another companyrepresentative on his Facebook page.

Cappo said hefeels insulted by what he considers disingenuousapologiesand delayed responses from Canadian Tire.

"If I was running a business and my employee did this, I would be completely flabbergasted. I would have acted immediately any sane business person would have acted immediately, but they haven't done that."