Ottawans who've experienced hate reflect on rising incidents in the city

Some Ottawa residents say they're keenly aware of a two-year trend of rising hate crimes in the city.

The number of hate crimes reported to Ottawa police has been on the rise, jumping from 119 in 2019 to 340 last year.

The national numbers reflect that trend, with new data from Statistics Canada finding a 37 per cent increase in hate crimes reported to police in 2020. 

While police say these numbers are concerning, they also say it doesn't give the full picture, as many incidents are never reported.

Idan Scher, senior rabbi at Ottawa's Machzikei Hadas synagogue, said he feels hate crimes are on the rise "absolutely, 100 per cent."

Scher says he's approached by people in their teens and 20s "struggling with how [to] publicly identify as a Jew" when they've experienced so much hate.

"I see people grappling with it more and more and, especially, over these past couple of years," Scher said.

'It's probably not going to be the last time'

Everyone CBC spoke to for this story said hate and discrimination have always been part of their lives.

Scher said he speaks bluntly about his experiences as they've been pervasive since he started wearing a kippah — a brimless head covering also known as a yarmulke — around nine years old. 

But in December 2021, it reached a new level, he said. Before then, no one had ever told him they wanted to kill him.

Scher was on his way to teach an evening class at his synagogue. He stopped for gas near his house with his daughter, just over a year old, in his car.

A man came up close, Scher said, and started staring at him. Scher said he ignored him, but as he put his credit card info into the gas pump, the man began belting a slew of racial slurs and swear words.

"He started to say that I am going to kill you, you [racial expletive]. He said that once and then a second time," Scher said.

"I couldn't think of anything else, other than I have my baby daughter here with me. I just put the gas pump away and got into my car and drove off."

Scher called the experience "jarring and so, so shocking." He said he didn't share that experience widely, but possibly should have. 

"It was just very interesting ... the people that I told this to, who had never experienced something like this, they were traumatized and were checking in on me over and over again," Scher said.

"It could have been my six-year-old daughter hearing that I was going to be killed because I was a Jew. It could have been my nine-year-old son hearing that," he added. "That's where it becomes emotionally overwhelming." 

'Until it happens to you ... you don't really understand'

In October 2020, photojournalist Justin Tang was heading to the Rideau Centre to get his glasses adjusted.

A man held the door for a woman in front of him, and Tang went in behind. As the two entered the mall, they put masks on.

The man then told Tang: "Having to wear a mask makes me want to kill Asians." 

Tang said he turned to him and said, "Man, that's really not nice, that's not a kind thing to say." The man repeated himself. 

Wanting to keep the interaction low-key, Tang said they parted ways — but he was still rattled.

"I was shaken up by it because I didn't know what this person's intentions were," he said.

Tang said he's had people yell racist things at him out of car windows, among other experiences, but this was the first time he'd felt the need to report anything to the police. 

"I don't know if he [was serious] or not. And you know, at this point, it doesn't actually matter," he said. "Because if they are, and I say nothing and someone gets hurt ... that would be not acceptable for me." 

Tang said he still feels the history of that spot whenever he's near, and it took effort to go through the same door only a few months after.

Two years later, Tang said he's still alarmed someone said something like that to his face, and he's spent that time doing a lot of reflection. 

"It kind of felt like just another negative thing that can happen — and does happen every day — to people who aren't white," he said. 

"Until it happens to you, I think you don't really understand."