Elder wants personal apology from Portage Place for removing him from mall

Joseph Meconse says he's pleased to hear Portage Place officials are sorry for kicking him out of the downtown Winnipeg mall last week, but the Dene elder and Canadian military veteran is still waiting for them to apologize to him face-to-face.

Meconse, 74, said a security guard asked him to leave the food court last Friday, after he had just sat down with a plate of food. He said the mall's policy at the time was to ask patrons to move on if they'd been sitting for longer than 30 minutes.

After hundreds of people held a protest in the mall earlier this week, Portage Place management issued a public apology late Thursday afternoon. However, Meconse said that apology has not come to him directly.

• Portage Place apologizes to elder who was kicked out
• Portage Place flash mob protests elder's removal from mall

"It's change and I'm happy to hear about it," he said Friday morning. "I haven't got no letter, though, or nothing verbally. I didn't even know."

Portage Place officials also said they're changing mall rules so people don't have to leave the food court if they haven't purchased anything from food or beverage vendors in 30 minutes.

"Given that our many members of our community use our food court as a place to meet friends, this is a policy we are now removing," general manager David Stone said in the mall's statement.

Meconse said Portage Place is where he meets with people from out of town because they know where it's located, so he's glad to hear of the change.

"I appreciate them for changing the policy and letting our elders a little more time to eat or a little more time to spend with … the people they meet there. It's a meeting place," he said.

Meconse said he looks forward to receiving a formal apology from Portage Place management.