Black homeless man gets $15K after BC shelter give him bed next to racist

A Black homeless BC man who was assigned a shelter bed next to man who called him the N-word has been offered a $15,000 settlement from the organization.

According to a July 30 BC Human Rights Tribunal decision, Oluwatobi Akinbiyi, who goes by the name Tobi, was staying in a shelter operated by the Community Builders Benevolence Group when it assigned him a bed next to a man who had three weeks earlier called him the N-word.

He also claimed that a group of residents at the shelter called him the N-word and shouted “white power” at him.

Akinbiyi said when he reported the incidents to the staff, they took no action.

He then took the not-for-profit organization to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, saying it had discriminated against him on the basis of race.

The Community Builders Benevolence Group runs 15 shelters across Greater Vancouver and applied to have the case thrown out.

However, in late 2024, the BC Human Rights Tribunal refused to dismiss the case and ruled that it go to a hearing.

Following the Tribunal’s ruling, the housing charity offered Akinbiyi a $15,000 settlement for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect.

The decision said Akinbiyi rejected the settlement and argued the case should go to a hearing.

He wanted $220,000 in compensation for injury to dignity.

The decision said Akinbiyi also wanted costs against the housing charity for improper conduct.

“He says all of Community Builders Benevolence Group’s materials are fabricated and the Tribunal should consider everything submitted by (it) to be falsehoods,” the decision read.

Akinbiyi didn’t put forward any evidence to support his allegation.

The Tribunal ruled Akinbiyi should take the settlement, and it wouldn’t hear the case.

The Tribunal ruled that having the matter go to a hearing wouldn’t further BC Human Rights laws.

“I find there are no factors that favour proceeding with the complaint in light of the reasonable settlement offer,” the Tribunal ruled.

“The Tribunal routinely hears and decides cases alleging racial discrimination by service providers, and I am not persuaded that the present complaint engages broader public policy issues,” the Tribunal said.

The Tribunal said it encourages parties to resolve their disputes in good faith and on a voluntary basis and that a $15,000 settlement for injury to dignity is within the range of what the Tribunal might order if he was successful.

Ultimately, the Tribunal refused to hear Akinbiyi’s case and gave him two weeks to accept the $15,000 settlement.