A 13-year-old Black girl who was wrongly singled out on suspicion of theft by her manager at a Vancouver juice bar has been awarded more than $27,000 in damages for discrimination.
The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has found that because of her race and sex, the young worker was subjected to a “poisoned” work environment at Heirloom, a restaurant and juice bar in the upscale South Granville neighbourhood.
The teen’s identity has been protected by the tribunal, and she is referred to as AB in a decision handed down on Friday. It says bias drove manager Nicholas Stone’s decision to confront the teen — and none of her co-workers — about shortages in the cash register.
Is 13 a normal age to be working in Canada? That seems a bit young.
Each province has their own rules. Here is BC’s age-related laws which allow for children aged 12 and up to work under strict conditions.