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Canad Inns says one of its employees is no longer working at the hotel attached to Manitoba’s largest hospital after a teen was removed from his room days after undergoing leg surgery.
The formal apology was made to Nicholas Robinson, 16, and his mother, Jodie Robinson, a day after the Pimicikamak Cree Nation family told media they were forced out of the hotel at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre earlier this week, even though they were waiting for a followup medical appointment.
“This interaction should not have happened, and we take this matter very seriously,” Canada Inns said in a statement Thursday.
Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak said Wednesday that the Robinsons booked a room at the hotel through supports provided by the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch.
The organization said they were waiting for the health branch to confirm their stay would be extended when they were kicked out Tuesday. The family faced administrative delays entirely outside their control, MKO said.
Video provided by the family and posted on social media showed a man — who was at times yelling — telling them they were past checkout time. Other video showed people wearing security guard uniforms standing by the hotel room’s doorway.
Canad Inns said Thursday it reviewed the incident, and the interaction did not reflect its professionalism standards and did not follow established policies or procedures.
One employee no longer works for Canad Inns as a result, the company said Thursday.
“We sincerely apologize to Nicholas and Jodie Robinson, as well as to the broader community, for the distress this situation has caused,” the statement said, and Canad Inns is implementing additional training to ensure situations involving guests are handled appropriately.
MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee said in a statement Thursday that the province must review regulation governing hotels, accommodations and the security sector, and racism against First Nations must be addressed.
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Wednesday their office had reached out to the Robinsons to offer support, and directed Shared Health to look into how to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Federal government apologizes
MKO also called on Indigenous Services Canada — which is responsible for the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch — to take immediate action, including setting up a clear, accessible and culturally safe complaints system with its hotel partners.
An Indigenous Services spokesperson said Thursday the federal department was deeply concerned about the situation, apologizing for “any harm that may have caused.”
The spokesperson said in a statement there was a delay in approving non-insured health benefits to cover the hotel extension while the department was co-ordinating the follow-up medical appointment with the family.
Indigenous Services said it arranged alternate accommodations and apologized after the incident was brought to its attention Tuesday evening.
It said First Nations individuals can choose where they would like to stay when arranging for medical travel outside the community from a range of options that’s based on availability. The department said staff at its Manitoba call centre are available 24/7 to discuss relocation and alternate accommodations.