Canada

Offensive comments in North Battleford, Sask. video lead to learning and forgiveness

A viral video has been making the rounds in Saskatchewan about a woman making offensive comments about a three-and-a-half-year-old girl.

The video comes from a livestream recording from Northern Nurseries in North Battleford with owner Judy Dwinnell describing a young girl that she said was between the ages of four and five acting like a cat. The girl was brought in on a harness with a kindergarten class by her mother.

“She was a cat. I never wanted to kick a cat so bad,” Dwinnell said.

She talked about how the child didn’t take part in any of the planting, and how she held up the rest of the class.

“I don’t care, I don’t care anymore. Parents are just as stupid as the kids. Cat, being a cat at five years old?”

Trina Miller is the aunt of Hailey Whittles, the girl who was described in the video, and said Hailey is in pre-kindergarten at McKitrick Community School.

Miller said this kind of reaction is unfortunately more commonplace than some people would like to think.

She said she was surprised that these kinds of comments were made publicly, noting she was initially extraordinarily offended and upset.

“My next thought was, this is a learning opportunity. This is an opportunity here,” Miller said.

She decided to give Dwinnell a call, noting she wasn’t calling to get angry, but instead to inform Dwinnell how her comments affected others.

“Hailey is three and a half, so she’s blissfully ignorant, but my sister definitely is not, nor is anyone else in my family.”

Miller said she explained to Dwinnell who Hailey was and why she acted the way she did.

Hailey has autism, and Miller described her as “two whole handfuls, not just one,” noting she loves the outdoors and nature, but doesn’t have any awareness about safety, appropriateness or societal norms.

She said her sister has to put in extra work to make sure Hailey is safe.

Miller said Dwinnell apologized and took ownership of her comments.

“It actually gave me a little faith in humanity.”

She said it gave her hope that when something like that is confronted with “open hands and open heart” then it can be received with an open mind, and changes can be made.

Miller said social media is partly to blame in this situation, noting it can lead to interactions before thinking first.

She said there’s also an aspect of urban myths making the rounds.

“Some good people believe that there are litter boxes in schools that kids are using.”

She noted she used to be a school board trustee for the public education system, and that those things are not happening at schools.

“So then you get a kid who shows up who’s a little bit bigger for her age acting like a kitty cat, her mom accommodating her because quite frankly she’s just happy Hailey’s out and able to take part in some stuff.

“And then you have somebody who made an assumption from what she saw and posted it without thinking on social media.”

She said her own daughter, who is 24 years old, has developmental delays and speech apraxia, and that inclusive education didn’t start in schools in the province until around 2004 or 2005.

“Us as a society hasn’t had to interact to the levels that we are now with children and people with exceptionalities,” Miller said.

“When you don’t know something, sometimes it can be scary. And that’s where false information comes in, and different belief systems.”

She said this was a good opportunity to educate people, noting “it’s hard to hate people up close.”

Miller said both she and her sister have accepted Dwinnell’s apology.

“She seems like a lovely lady who just made a really bad choice.”

Global News has reached out to Northern Nurseries for a response.

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.


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