Business
The retail sector has a racial bias problem — and this Sephora survey suggests it's costing it customers – CBC.ca
A study commissioned by beauty giant Sephora on racial bias in the U.S. retail sector is having reverberations in Canada — at Sephora’s Canadian stores and for those in the beauty industry.
The Racial Bias in Retail Study, released earlier this month, aimed to quantify how common it is to experience racial bias, and identify opportunities to eliminate it.
The study surveyed customers and employees across the U.S. retail industry, from mass merchandising to department stores and specialty retailers — not limited to beauty — in hopes other retailers would use the data to inform their policies as well.
The online survey of 3,034 U.S. shoppers and 1,703 retail employees conducted in June 2020 found feelings of exclusion before even stepping into a store when marketing failed to include a range of skin colours, body types and hair textures.
It found nearly four in five shoppers felt there was a lack of brands owned by, or made for, people of colour.
Three in five retail shoppers reported that they had experienced discriminatory treatment, and two in five said it was based on their race or the colour of their skin.
“I absolutely saw myself in that study,” said Canadian beauty brand creator, Tomi Gbeleyi-Curtis. “I’ve had experiences where people follow me around the store.”
Bias costing retailers customers
True to Gbeleyi-Curtis’s experience, shoppers who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour (BIPOC) reported feeling judged, being watched or followed, overlooked by employees, or ‘passed off’ to salespeople who look like them.
Moreover, more than three-quarters of shoppers surveyed said they struggle to find salespeople who do look like them or are familiar with their needs.
Many BIPOC shoppers reported purposefully dressing nicely or leaving bags at home to avoid being mistreated or accused of theft.
The study also found bad experiences could cost retailers customers – three in five BIPOC shoppers said they would be unlikely to visit a specific store again.
“It was the first of its kind study to really glean insights into the disparate experiences that many U.S. BIPOC shoppers and employees actually face today,” said Debbie McDowell, director of social impact for Sephora Canada.
Sephora’s racial bias study included the online survey as well as other qualitative research and interviews.
Sephora Canada doesn’t plan to do a Canadian version of the survey; instead, it will build off of the U.S. findings.
“It’s an opportunity for us to take that research and really start to see what things are transferable to the Canadian marketplace,” said McDowell, who leads the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy in Canada. Currently, nine steering committees are looking into areas for change at Sephora Canada – from employee training, to diversity in hiring and brands.
WATCH | Former model Tomi Gbeleyi-Curtis on creating inclusive beauty products:
A recent survey by beauty giant Sephora has found racial bias persists across retailers, something Canadians and people of colour working in the industry have been saying for years. 2:32
Similar racial bias found in Canada
The experience of Canadian shoppers is likely “very similar” to those in the U.S., according to Késa Munroe-Anderson, director of race relations, equity and inclusion at the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.
In 2013, the NSHRC published A Report on Consumer Racial Profiling in Nova Scotia.
The report highlighted that there was a lack of Canadian research on consumer racial profiling, and identified that as problematic because “it maintains the invisibility of racism in our society and allows for consumer racial profiling to remain hidden.”
Because racism is still rampant in our society, we will find it in our retail stores.– Késa Munroe-Anderson, Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
The researchers used focus-group discussions and an in-person survey of 1,190 people about in-store experiences and interactions with retail employees to find out how common consumer racial profiling was in the province.
From receiving slow service, being ignored by staff, followed by a store employee, or questioned about their ability to afford to pay for a product, instances of degraded or unfair treatment was more common among African Canadian and Aboriginal shoppers than white respondents.
“There’s a belief that racialized customers are poor, that racialized customers are thieves, and that consumer racial profiling actually works. So there needs to be more education around what does work,” said Munroe-Anderson.
Working to solve the problem
As a result of the report, the NSHRC developed a free online training course in partnership with the Retail Council of Canada called Serving All Customers Better, which was launched in Nova Scotia in March 2017 and nationally in 2018 in partnership with the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies. It was designed for retailers and their workers, but open to anyone to take.
To date, more than 82,000 people have enrolled in one of the courses.
“It’s meant to give the participant the beginning stages of understanding around what consumer racial profiling is, what are the behaviours that demonstrate consumer racial profiling, how we should be treating all customers in an equitable way,” said Munroe-Anderson.
She says research such as Sephora’s, along with reports by consumers of incidents to agencies like hers, help to underscore that consumer racial profiling is an ongoing issue.
“Because racism is still rampant in our society, we will find it in our retail stores,” said Munroe-Anderson.
An industry changing, slowly
For Gbeleyi-Curtis, the racial bias in beauty goes beyond treatment in stores to the products on offer, with so few options for people with darker skin.
She tried to draw attention to a lack of product diversity five years ago, when makeup products, such as foundation, still came in a limited number of darker shades.
“For a long time, the message was — you should be fine with what is being offered, darker-skinned customers are not the majority,” said Gbeleyi-Curtis.
But online, it was clear she was not alone, and she launched an online community and Instagram page in 2016 to share information about products that work well.
“It almost became, I feel like, a game for a lot of women with darker skin, finding the right products, because people would take the suite of offerings available and say, ‘oh, if you’re this skin tone try this mocha shade in this brand, it will work best for you,'” said Gbeleyi-Curtis.
In 2017, she launched her own line of products, Makeup For Melanin Girls Cosmetics, with eyeshadows, lip products, highlighters and more, that are designed to pop on darker skin tones.
That same year, R&B singer Rhianna launched Fenty Beauty, featuring foundation with an unprecedented line of 40 shades.
Gbeleyi-Curtis says she believes Fenty’s success was the proof the industry needed to believe that a brand built on diversity and inclusion could also be popular and profitable.
“They started to recognize the power of customers that may not be in the majority,” she said.
Sephora faced direct criticism in 2019, when R&B singer SZA, who formerly worked at Sephora, tweeted that she was racially profiled at one of the company’s stores in 2019.
Lmao Sandy Sephora location 614 Calabasas called security to make sure I wasn’t stealing . We had a long talk. U have a blessed day Sandy
—@sza
Since then, amid the heightened Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020, Sephora signed the 15 percent pledge, an idea created by Toronto-born designer Aurora James to get companies to commit to ensuring 15 percent of the products they carry will come from Black creators.
Sephora Canada’s McDowell says she’s pushing “to ensure that we have Canadian BIPOC brand partners and brands on our shelves and online here in Canada as well.”
But Gbeleyi-Curtis finds the increased interest in diversity surprising, particularly within her industry, after her ideas for inclusive products were ignored by many.
“I remember vividly when I was pitching my product and my company, there was a lot of feedback like, ‘oh, if this was a real issue, larger conglomerates would have solved it by now.'”
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
Premier David Eby says that as B.C. inches closer to new short-term rental rules taking effect, 17 communities have decided to opt into the restrictions.
The update comes as the regulations surrounding how many and what kinds of short-term rentals are allowed in B.C. come into effect on May 1.
The BC NDP tabled the legislation in October of last year which, once in effect, aims to return short-term rentals to the long-term rental market.
As of May 1, the province is requiring short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb and VRBO, to share data and to remove listings without business licenses and registration numbers “quickly.”
It is also limiting short-term rentals to a property owner’s principal residence — plus one additional unit or suite on that property — for municipalities with more than 10,000 people. Municipalities with fewer than 10,000 people, or those designated as resort municipalities, will be able to opt into the legislation.
Those communities that have opted in, like the resort municipality of Tofino, will see the new laws come into effect on Nov. 1. Some other communities that have agreed to the new rules are Kent, Gabriola Island, Bowen Island, Osoyoos, and Pemberton.
The province says through regulations, the fines for hosts breaking municipal by-law rules will increase to $3,000 from $1,000, per infraction, per day.
“Short-term rentals themselves are not the problem,” Eby said in the update Thursday. “What has been the problem is inadequate oversight over this sector. And a group of people who have … said I’d like to actually buy up a whole bunch of homes that would otherwise be rented by people, or what other otherwise be purchased by families looking for a place to live, and I’d like to operate a private hotel chain through Airbnb or VRBO.”
“To give you a sense of the scale of the problem we face in British Columbia with this kind of activity [from] this small group of individuals, we have 19,000 entire homes in our province that are available year-round on short-term rental platforms,” he continued.
“And I can tell you that there are 19,000 families and individuals that are looking for a place to live, to buy, to rent right now, that are in competition with people that are looking to operate homes as hotels.”
Data from McGill University released in 2023 showed that the top 10 per cent of hosts in B.C. earn nearly half of all revenue created.
Eby added that, starting Thursday, a portal will be available for people to report operators for going against the new rules, and also giving hosts a platform to check their requirements of operation.
“These rules balance the need for long-term homes, including people and tourism and hospitality industry where the need to accommodate guests. As the premier mentioned, people are seeing long-term homes open up for rent, and more short-term rentals are being listed for sale or becoming long-term homes for families and individuals,” Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said.
The province reiterated Thursday that short-term rentals are still “welcomed” in B.C., as long as they operate within provincial and local rules.
“We encourage people to continue to explore beautiful British Columbia and stay in legal short-term rental accommodations. We want guests, hosts, local governments, and platforms to know what to expect May 1,” Kahlon added.
Short-term rentals create big economic impacts: Airbnb
In a statement Thursday, Airbnb claimed a newly released economic analysis shows it generated more than $2.5 billion “in economic impact across BC in 2023,” and supported more than 25,000 jobs in the province.
“The analysis shows that for every $100 spent on an Airbnb stay, guests spent an additional $229 on other goods and services such as local businesses, restaurants, attractions, shops, and more,” the short-term rental agency said.
Airbnb believes the new “strict” short-term rental laws are “putting at risk billions in tourism spending and economic benefits.”
“BC’s new short-term rental law is going to significantly impact the province’s tourism sector, just as peak tourism season arrives – taking extra income away from residents, limiting accommodation options for guests, and potentially putting at risk billions in tourism spending and economic impact,” said Nathan Rotman, Airbnb Canada policy lead in the statement.
“At a time when BC is facing record deficits and economic growth is slowing, these new rules hurt resident hosts, tourists, communities and the economy as a whole.”
Airbnb is also contributing to tax revenue in the province, the agency claimed, explaining, “British Columbian Hosts on the platform generated approximately $93 million in taxes in 2023, bringing much-needed tax revenue for a province that’s projected to face a record high $7.9 billion deficit.”
You can watch CityNews 24/7 live or listen live to CityNews 1130 to keep up to date with this story. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Business
'It's disgusting:' Doug Ford lashes out at oil companies over double-digit gas price hike – CityNews Toronto
Premier Doug Ford lashed out at the gas companies for the double-digit overnight increase in the price of gas across the GTA, calling it unacceptable and disgusting.
Speaking at an unrelated announcement in Oakville, Ont., on Thursday, Ford took a moment to vent on behalf of “16 million people” across the province.
“You go out last night and you’re sitting there for 20 minutes in the lineup to get gas. It’s unacceptable,” said Ford. “Everywhere I was going it was a $1.59. You wake up this morning and it’s $1.80. It’s absolutely disgusting.”
Prices at the pumps surged 14 cents overnight to 178.9 cents/litre at most GTA stations. Analysts attribute the increase to the annual changeover from winter gas to summer gas.
“That is why prices are going up so significantly all at once is essentially we’re seeing discounts on winter gasoline to get rid of it but now that we’ve made the jump, summer gasoline inventories are much lower and thus a much higher price,” Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy tells CityNews.
That explanation, Ford said, was simply a way for the gas companies to gouge people.
“It’s absolutely disgusting what the oil companies are doing,” said an agitated Ford as he questioned whether the gas companies are waiting for the tanks to drain at gas stations before filling them up with the new summer formulation. “Or are you using the old gas and charging the higher cost.”
“I have my opinion that it’s not physically possible to drain every single gas station to put the fresh stuff in. So either you’re putting the fresh stuff in last month or you’re gouging the people right now.”
Ford went on to say that after consulting with some friends in the United States, he found that gas prices were trending around $3.80 per gallon. “Folks, let’s do the math – it’s a $1.80 (a litre) that’s $7.20 (a US gallon).”
Mike Eppel, 680 News Radio Toronto Senior Business Editor, says it also comes down to a refining capacity issue in this country.
“So there’s lots of oil, that’s not the issue – oil supplies are high. It’s the refining capacity. We haven’t had a refinery built in eastern Canada since whenever – you can’t get a pipeline built. And anytime there is any disruption in the system, up goes the price for gas.”
Ford did not limit his anger on rising gas prices to just the oil companies, closing his rant by taking a shot at the federal government’s carbon tax, which took effect on April 1 and pushed gas prices up three cents a litre.
“This goes back to the federal government sticking their hands in the people’s pockets, they don’t care that we have some of the highest prices in North America on the carbon tax, they jack it up 17.5 per cent,” explained Ford. “And then of course the oil companies thought they’d hop on board, no one’s going to notice, because if I remember … just a few months ago I remember filling up for $1.30 to $1.34. Did the barrel of oil go up 30 per cent? The answer is no. So where is the 30 per cent.”
While the price of gas is expected to fall by four cents/litre on Friday, prices will continue to fluctuate with no real relief in sight until June or July.
Article content
Google has fired 28 employees after a number of staffers protested the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government.
The workers were terminated after staging protests inside Google’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California, per CNN.
Article content
In a statement, Google’s parent company Alphabet said that “physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities is a clear violation of our policies, and completely unacceptable behavior.”
Recommended from Editorial
The protests were organized by the No Tech For Apartheid campaign and protesters held signs that read “No More Genocide For Profit” and “We Stand with Palestinian, Arab and Muslim Googlers.”
The company said it would continue to investigate and take action as needed, reports The Guardian.
The protesters say that Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract granted to Google and Amazon.com in 2021, provides cloud services to the Israeli government and aids in the creation of military applications.
A form letter on the campaign’s website demands that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian “end all ties with Israeli apartheid and cut the Project Nimbus contract.”
Article content
Google says the Nimbus contract “is not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.” It added that Google Cloud “supports numerous governments around the world, including the Israeli government.”
“We have been very clear that the Nimbus contract is for workloads running on our commercial cloud by Israeli government ministries, who agree to comply with our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy.”
The No Tech for Apartheid campaign called the firings a “flagrant act of retaliation” and a “clear indication that Google values its $1.2 billion contract with the genocidal Israeli government and military more than its own workers.”
The campaign added that some of the individuals fired did not directly participate in the protests.
Despite what its critics allege, Israel has attempted to warn and shield civilians as the IDF hunts the Hamas terrorists who hid themselves among Gaza’s civilian population and infrastructure after the group’s October 7 attack. As well, critics who call Israel an apartheid state ignore the freedoms enjoyed by the democratic country’s Arab citizens, who play major roles in business, the judiciary and even the Knesset.
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.
Share this article in your social network
Marine plankton could act as alert in mass extinction event: UVic researcher – Saanich News
Benjamin Bergen: Why would anyone invest in Canada now? – National Post
BC short-term rental rules take effect May 1 – CityNews Vancouver
Silver investment demand jumped 12% in 2019
12 Bizarre Things People Did Just To Make Social Media Content
Global Media Markets, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F – TV and Radio Broadcasting, Film and Music, Information Services, Web Content, Search Portals And Social Media, Print Media, & Cable – GlobeNewswire
-
Tech21 hours agoCytiva Showcases Single-Use Mixing System at INTERPHEX 2024 – BioPharm International
-
Health17 hours ago
Supervised consumption sites urgently needed, says study – Sudbury.com
-
News23 hours ago
Tim Hortons says 'technical errors' falsely told people they won $55K boat in Roll Up To Win promo – CBC.ca
-
Tech23 hours ago
Aaron Sluchinski adds Kyle Doering to lineup for next season – Sportsnet.ca
-
Politics24 hours ago
Trump faces political risks as trial begins – NBC News
-
News16 hours ago
2024 federal budget's key takeaways: Housing and carbon rebates, students and sin taxes – CBC News
-
Tech22 hours ago
Nintendo Indie World Showcase April 2024 – Every Announcement, Game Reveal & Trailer – Nintendo Life
-
News17 hours ago
Canada's 2024 budget announces 'halal mortgages'. Here's what to know – National Post
