Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries is criticized by society.
Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries is under fire because the corporation posted names of people charged with store crimes. The problem is that these people have not been convicted yet.
As it became known on Tuesday, the corporation published the names and age of 67 people on its official website. All these 67 people were charged but their guilt was not proven in court.
Neil McArthur, director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, was shocked as Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries did not even state the crimes. It only wrote that people were arrested and charged for criminal offenses occurring at Liquor Mart stores.
He added that the corporation exposes people to public trial, and even if the charges are dropped in the future, they may face unpleasant consequences.
Liquor Marts made such a decision as one of the points in their new security plan. Recall that the store faced a huge number of thefts in 2018. As official data showed, the number of thefts in 2018 exceeded the number of thefts in 2017 by 300%.
A corporation lawyer declined to comment on the list. However, after a while, a statement appeared. It was stated that the corporation does not see its fault, and it is one of the measures to reduce the number of thefts in stores.
A human rights lawyer still believes that such an act violates human rights. Any information should be supported by facts and an appropriate context. Liquor Marts does not have the right to impose their sentences instead of court.
Neil McArthur also expressed his concern that the list could harm Indigenous population and vulnerable people that are currently combating their addictions. The list may create a false impression that Indigenous people are dangerous. Public shame is not a solution.
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