Latest news with #ConfederationCentre
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Charlottetown café refuses to use coffee sleeves featuring ‘problematic' John A. Macdonald image
Charlottetown café declines to use Confederation Centre coffee sleeves featuring John A. Macdonald photo. Photo by Vivian Ulinwa / The Guardian A Charlottetown café owner says when she agreed to participate in a fundraising campaign run by the Confederation Centre of the Arts, she didn't expect to be asked to distribute 'problematic' imagery. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Laura Noel, who owns a café in downtown Charlottetown, said she was contacted by the centre and asked to participate in the campaign by using branded coffee sleeves. However, upon opening the box, she was surprised to find Sir John A. Macdonald's face printed on the front of the coffee sleeves. 'It was not what I expected,' she said. Noel received 1,250 sleeves and immediately felt uncomfortable using them, especially given the City of Charlottetown's previous decision to remove a statue of Macdonald due to repeated vandalism and public concern about his legacy. City workers clean off red paint dumped on the John A. Macdonald statue on June 19, 2020. Photo by The Guardian / File Noel said the centre's campaign risks placing the burden of historical controversy on small businesses like hers. She said putting the sleeves on cups could lead to uncomfortable customer interactions that business owners aren't prepared for. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Noel emailed the Confederation Centre on July 25 asking for clarity, but said she received no response. After following up again on Aug. 6, she received an email from CEO Steve Bellamy later that day. She said the reply did little to ease her concerns and felt dismissive of the issues she raised. She also questioned the decision to print the sleeves in orange, widely recognized as the colour of Indigenous reconciliation in Canada during a campaign that would run into September, which is National Reconciliation Month. Macdonald is linked to the creation of the residential school system in Canada that the country has since acknowledged was a cultural genocide. 'To me, there's too many combinations of problematic things on one sleeve,' Noel said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Separately, they're OK. We can talk about John A, we can talk about orange, but together, it's just too problematic.' Colour orange According to email chains between Bellamy and Noel, the CEO said that orange has been part of the centre's brand since 1964. But Noel felt the response overlooked the broader meaning of that colour in today's context, especially when paired with an image of the former prime minister who pushed for residential schools. 'What I hear is orange is ours first, it was our colour first … we picked orange first, is what I'm hearing,' she said. Noel said she felt misled by the lack of information when she initially agreed to participate, and that the centre should have considered the impact of using Macdonald's image, especially when asking the public for donations. She imagined having a customer who was a residential school survivor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I would feel ashamed' to use the coffee sleeve, she said. Promoting dialogue The coffee sleeves were part of a national campaign titled 'Where Canada Connects,' intended to promote dialogue about Canada's past and future. In a written response to The Guardian, the centre said its role as a memorial to the founders of Confederation includes confronting the difficult parts of history. The Confederation Centre of the Arts said some people may want the Centre to erase and to never mention Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's former Prime Minister, but it does not have that option. The Centre said it can be sensitive about how it talks about and refers to MacDonald, but the Centre can never stop talking about it or stop referring to it. Photo by Vivian Ulinwa / The Guardian 'This centre is a memorial to him and others, as well as a theatre and arts programming space,' the email said. 'There will always be some people who want the centre to erase and to never mention, but we do not have that option. Of course, we can always be sensitive about how we talk about it and how we refer to John A. Macdonald, but the centre can never stop talking about it or stop referring to it that is why we are here.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The centre said the campaign is meant to present a challenge and a provocation, encouraging Canadians to talk about the issues that matter most to them. It also said it works continuously with First Nations and Indigenous communities and takes all feedback seriously. Noel, however, said she hasn't received the clarity she hoped for, and the experience has made her hesitant to partner with the centre. She still supports the institution and its work in the arts community, but felt this campaign was poorly communicated and lacked sensitivity. Editor's note: An earlier version of this story included information the interview subject felt was off the record. Slight changes have been made to reflect this. Vivian Ulinwa is a reporter for The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. She can be reached at vulinwa@ and followed on X @vivian_ulinwa. Read More Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA World
National Post
4 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Charlottetown café refuses to use coffee sleeves featuring ‘problematic' John A. Macdonald image
A Charlottetown café owner says when she agreed to participate in a fundraising campaign run by the Confederation Centre of the Arts, she didn't expect to be asked to distribute 'problematic' imagery. Article content Laura Noel, who owns a café in downtown Charlottetown, said she was contacted by the centre and asked to participate in the campaign by using branded coffee sleeves. However, upon opening the box, she was surprised to find Sir John A. Macdonald's face printed on the front of the coffee sleeves. Article content Article content Article content Noel received 1,250 sleeves and immediately felt uncomfortable using them, especially given the City of Charlottetown's previous decision to remove a statue of Macdonald due to repeated vandalism and public concern about his legacy. Article content Article content Noel said the centre's campaign risks placing the burden of historical controversy on small businesses like hers. Article content She said putting the sleeves on cups could lead to uncomfortable customer interactions that business owners aren't prepared for. Article content Message and timing Article content Noel emailed the Confederation Centre on July 25 asking for clarity, but said she received no response. After following up again on Aug. 6, she received an email from CEO Steve Bellamy later that day. She said the reply did little to ease her concerns and felt dismissive of the issues she raised. Article content She also questioned the decision to print the sleeves in orange, widely recognized as the colour of Indigenous reconciliation in Canada during a campaign that would run into September, which is National Reconciliation Month. Macdonald is linked to the creation of the residential school system in Canada that the country has since acknowledged was a cultural genocide. Article content 'To me, there's too many combinations of problematic things on one sleeve,' Noel said. Article content Article content 'Separately, they're OK. We can talk about John A, we can talk about orange, but together, it's just too problematic.' Article content Colour orange Article content 'What I hear is orange is ours first, it was our colour first … we picked orange first, is what I'm hearing,' she said. Article content Noel said she felt misled by the lack of information when she initially agreed to participate, and that the centre should have considered the impact of using Macdonald's image, especially when asking the public for donations. She imagined having a customer who was a residential school survivor.
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Coffee shop refuses to use Confederation Centre material featuring John A Macdonald
The Confederation Centre of the Arts is facing criticism for an ad campaign featuring John A Macdonald, with some businesses saying they aren't comfortable using the promotional material. Macdonald's face is on an orange background — a colour associated with some Indigenous movements. CBC's Tony Davis has more.
CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Confederation Centre campaign featuring John A. Macdonald's face drawing criticism
Social Sharing Some business owners in downtown Charlottetown are refusing to use promotional material featuring John A. Macdonald that's aimed at helping the Confederation Centre of the Arts raise money for renovations. Laura Noel owns The 5th Wave Espresso & Tea Bar, just blocks away from the cultural centre. At first she was happy to agree to help raise money for the centre, but when she opened a package of promotional coffee sleeves, she quickly had concerns. "The sleeve is pure orange with a white wording and there are two faces on the sleeve. One is John A. Macdonald," Noel said. Macdonald was Canada's first prime minister, who is credited with being one of the main Fathers of Confederation for his persuasive skills at the Charlottetown Conference in September 1864. He went on to play a key role in the implementation of the residential schools in the 19th century. More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children across the country were forced to attend church-run, government-funded residential schools between the 1870s and 1997. In the last few years, there have been many movements across the country to have Canadians acknowledge the harm that effort did to Indigenous communities and families. One is the Every Child Matters campaign, which is associated with the colour orange. "I just know orange and him do not go together," Noel said. "The colour orange is not problematic. John A. Macdonald's history to me is a history; you can call it problematic if you like. However, when you put the two together is when it becomes an issue. "Separately, this is all things we can have a discussion about, but together it's going to trigger people. It's going backwards in what we're trying to do in reconciliation." Noel has Indigenous family members and wouldn't want to put a sleeve featuring Macdonald's face on their coffee cups, she said. "It could definitely trigger someone who has had negative experiences with the residential schools, with politics, with the history of Canada." Noel notes that the City of Charlottetown removed the Macdonald statue that sat on Queen Street for years after it was vandalized multiple times. The P.E.I. Brewing Company also stopped using Macdonald branding on its honey wheat ale. Inviting others to have their say: CEO Responding to the concerns on Wednesday, Confederation Centre of the Arts CEO Steve Bellamy pointed out that the centre is Canada's national monument to the founding fathers of the country — and any such list has to include Macdonald. "Of course, we've been focused on the challenges in that in the last couple of decades, working on truth and reconciliation and acknowledging that while Canada is a wonderful country, it was not founded in the best way," he said. The goal of the campaign was meant to be part of truth and reconciliation efforts, by acknowledging that people such as Macdonald had already had their say about how the country should be organized, Bellamy said. "Now it's everyone else's turn. So we're trying to acknowledge the past and invite everyone to take part in building the country that we should be." We need to acknowledge the past... It's the truth part of truth and reconciliation. History can repeat itself if we don't acknowledge the past, Bellamy said, adding that some Indigenous leaders with whom he has spoken suggest that erasing history or taking down statues might not be the best way to move forward. "We need to acknowledge the past. We need to recognize who these significant important figures were in the past so we can move forward. It's the truth part of truth and reconciliation." Bellamy also pointed out that the colour orange has been used for promotional material for the cultural centre since it was opened in 1964. Despite that, he said he does understand why some Islanders could be concerned about this campaign, which he said would be short-lived. "If this was an oversight, we definitely apologize for this, and didn't intend to imply any connection whatsoever to the very important Orange Shirt Day — which we participate in — and the campaign around Every Child Matters," he said. "I can understand that people are seeing those two things paired together and making that connection… I do feel badly that people made that connection between the two. It was definitely not, of course, intended." As for Noel, she said she doesn't want to "cancel" the centre: "I think it was just a fumble that maybe got out of hand. Too many eyes have passed for it to not have been brought up."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Confederation Centre campaign featuring John A. Macdonald's face drawing criticism
Some business owners in downtown Charlottetown are refusing to use promotional material featuring John A. Macdonald that's aimed at helping the Confederation Centre of the Arts raise money for renovations. Laura Noel owns The 5th Wave Espresso & Tea Bar, just blocks away from the cultural centre. At first she was happy to agree to help raise money for the centre, but when she opened a package of promotional coffee sleeves, she quickly had concerns. "The sleeve is pure orange with a white wording and there are two faces on the sleeve. One is John A. Macdonald," Noel said. Macdonald was Canada's first prime minister, who is credited with being one of the main Fathers of Confederation for his persuasive skills at the Charlottetown Conference in September 1864. He went on to play a key role in the implementation of the residential schools in the 19th century. More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children across the country were forced to attend church-run, government-funded residential schools between the 1870s and 1997. In the last few years, there have been many movements across the country to have Canadians acknowledge the harm that effort did to Indigenous communities and families. One is the Every Child Matters campaign, which is associated with the colour orange. "I just know orange and him do not go together," Noel said. "The colour orange is not problematic. John A. Macdonald's history to me is a history; you can call it problematic if you like. However, when you put the two together is when it becomes an issue. "Separately, this is all things we can have a discussion about, but together it's going to trigger people. It's going backwards in what we're trying to do in reconciliation." Noel has Indigenous family members and wouldn't want to put a sleeve featuring Macdonald's face on their coffee cups, she said. "It could definitely trigger someone who has had negative experiences with the residential schools, with politics, with the history of Canada." Noel notes that the City of Charlottetown removed the Macdonald statue that sat on Queen Street for years after it was vandalized multiple times. The P.E.I. Brewing Company also stopped using Macdonald branding on its honey wheat ale. Inviting others to have their say: CEO Responding to the concerns on Wednesday, Confederation Centre of the Arts CEO Steve Bellamy pointed out that the centre is Canada's national monument to the founding fathers of the country — and any such list has to include Macdonald. "Of course, we've been focused on the challenges in that in the last couple of decades, working on truth and reconciliation and acknowledging that while Canada is a wonderful country, it was not founded in the best way," he said. The goal of the campaign was meant to be part of truth and reconciliation efforts, by acknowledging that people such as Macdonald had already had their say about how the country should be organized, Bellamy said. "Now it's everyone else's turn. So we're trying to acknowledge the past and invite everyone to take part in building the country that we should be." We need to acknowledge the past... It's the truth part of truth and reconciliation. — Steve Bellamy History can repeat itself if we don't acknowledge the past, Bellamy said, adding that some Indigenous leaders with whom he has spoken suggest that erasing history or taking down statues might not be the best way to move forward. "We need to acknowledge the past. We need to recognize who these significant important figures were in the past so we can move forward. It's the truth part of truth and reconciliation." Bellamy also pointed out that the colour orange has been used for promotional material for the cultural centre since it was opened in 1964. Despite that, he said he does understand why some Islanders could be concerned about this campaign, which he said would be short-lived. "If this was an oversight, we definitely apologize for this, and didn't intend to imply any connection whatsoever to the very important Orange Shirt Day — which we participate in — and the campaign around Every Child Matters," he said. "I can understand that people are seeing those two things paired together and making that connection… I do feel badly that people made that connection between the two. It was definitely not, of course, intended." As for Noel, she said she doesn't want to "cancel" the centre: "I think it was just a fumble that maybe got out of hand. Too many eyes have passed for it to not have been brought up."
