Activists slam Ontario for response to attacks on Asian fishermen

Community activists are giving the Ontario government low marks for its response to a series of attacks on Asian anglers since 2007.

The group of business people, lawyers, doctors and educators issued a report card today on the response to last year's Ontario Human Rights Commission report into assaults on recreational fishermen.

A number of Asians had been harassed by people demanding to see their fishing permits and inspect their catch, resulting in some anglers being pushed into the water or attacked in other ways.

The group gives only one A in its report card, to York Regional Police for assigning a hate-crimes investigator to its culture and diversity unit and for training officers about the attacks.

Various provincial ministries were given grades of D, while the Education Ministry was given the highest mark for government, a B-minus for promising education about anti-racism efforts.

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters was given an F for showing "a failure to understand the issue of discrimination against Asian-Canadian anglers."

The attacks started several months before the Federation of Anglers and Hunters posted a letter to the editor urging members to question Asian-looking fishermen about their legal documentation.

Police warned at the time that Natural Resources Ministry conservation officers and police are the only people who have the authority to make those demands.

The community reference group says assaults or vigilantism cannot be justified by raising allegations of illegal activity.

The attacks started in late 2007 and continued through 2008, with one incident reported as recently as Jan. 31, 2009, during an ice-fishing tournament.