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Originally Posted by acottawa
I think overt racism often correlates with economic decline or poverty. I grew up in SW Ontario (the .com part, not the rust belt part), overt racism was pretty rare. “Jokes” or negative comments were most often directed at South Asians or Poles, and maybe anti-Muslim views after 9/11. I don’t think indigenous racism was ever a thing.
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Thunder Bay isn’t necessarily poor or economically declining. The poverty rate is 21.5% compared to the provincial average of 18.4, which is not bad given its location and issues. It does have a comparatively large Indigenous population though of around 10% of the total population. If your city doesn’t have comparable demographics then your situation is different. Other places in Canada get to comfortably ignore a lot of these issues and then can pretend that they are not at all racist. Thunder Bay and similar cities are really at the front lines when it comes to dealing with our colonial past. And it is indeed complicated, difficult, and at times ugly.
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