Uncovering the surge of hate incidents targeting South Asians in Greater Sudbury

The number of hate crimes targeting the South Asian community has grown by 143 per cent from 2019 to 2022, according to Statistics Canada's latest report.

In Sudbury, these hate crimes doubled from two to four reported cases from 2022 to 2023, according to the Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS).

But, as Sudbury police noted, hate crimes and hate-based incidents are extremely underreported.

Gurpreet Singh Broca, chair of the Greater Sudbury police diversity advisory committee, said he has seen examples of this many times.

"Sudbury is not immune to racism. Sudbury is not immune to these hate crimes."

He recalls an incident at Walmart in New Sudbury. He received a phone call from a Sikh man who was being attacked for wearing a kirpan, a curved, single-edged blade that Sikhs are required to wear as part of their religion. The individual who targeted the Sikh man was demanding he take off his article of faith. But, the individual allegedly stated, it was not an article of faith but rather a weapon.

"There was an attempt… not actually doing it, but trying to pretend as if he was going to be run over by his Dodge Ram truck. So we immediately called the police. We made sure that there is a police report that this hate crime is reported," explained Broca.

He described the situation as an "eye-opener" for Sikhs in Sudbury. However, he said, the case wasn't an isolated incident, but rather part of a growing wave of hateful incidents directed against the South Asian community. 

Shalini Konanur, executive director and lawyer at the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario in Toronto, said the influx of immigrants from India and Canada's struggling economy are to blame for the increase.

"When everyone is struggling, they're always looking for somebody to blame," said Konanur. "I think immigrants are often scapegoated when times are hard for everybody else."

She pointed to a study by Punjabi Community Health Services that noted an increase in suicides and mental health issues during the pandemic.

"When you're constantly hearing from people, go back to your country or you're the problem with this country or we need to ramp down on immigration. It is almost terrifying… the clients that we talked to are feeling very scared."

Greater Sudbury police encourage residents to report these incidents. The service has introduced an online reporting option so people can report these incidents in a safe place. 

In an email to CBC, the GSPS wrote, "We recognize the impact on and pain felt by community members when there is evidence of hatred. These crimes often heighten the isolation and vulnerability of diverse communities and can cause severe stress for all members."