VANCOUVER—Maxwell Johnson and his 12-year-old granddaughter were escorted out of a Vancouver bank by police and then placed in handcuffs under suspicion of fraud in December 2019.
Now, one of Johnson’s paintings will adorn the walls of the same Bank of Montreal and in other branches where members of his Heiltsuk First Nation bank.
The artwork display is part of a settlement the two sides have reached after the incident that became a national story and cast a dramatic spotlight on institutional racism in Canada.
“It’s been a very rough three years dealing with BMO and coming to a settlement agreement, but coming full circle it’s going to be a lot easier moving on with our lives now,” Johnson told the Star. “Just hoping that nobody else has to go through what we went through.”
He made the announcement of the settlement outside the bank on Vancouver’s Burrard Street Thursday where the incident occurred. He also closed his bank account.
The Heiltsuk man and his then-12-year-old girl granddaughter were detained after a representative at the bank called police over suspicions their Indian status card was fake.
Johnson, then 56, and his granddaughter were hoping to open an account for her so he could transfer her some money for basketball games and cultural activities.
According to a transcript of a 911 call released through Johnson’s human rights complaint, the bank manager became confused about Johnson’s status card. Initially, the bank called Indigenous Services, who told them to call the police.
When police arrived, they took the two outside and placed handcuffs on them, taking them off the granddaughter when they learned she was 12 years old, according to a police report. Johnson asked multiple times what was going on and found out later the bank suspected him of committing fraud.
The two were released and filed complaints with the BC Human Rights Tribunal against both BMO and the Vancouver Police Department. The complaint about the VPD is ongoing. In March a disciplinary hearing for the Office of the Police Commissioner found two officers involved “recklessly used uncessary force” in the arrests, amounting to professional misconduct.
Marilyn Slett, Chief Councilor of the Heiltsuk Nation, said the incident highlighted systemic racism against Indigenous people.
“It’s important for us to make sure the bank is held accountable and starts to make those fundamental shifts that are required so this never happens again to another person,” Slett said, adding other banks have not contacted them about potential changes to their own services .
“We certainly believe that the barriers do need to be addressed so that Indigenous people don’t face these kinds of instances.”
Indigenous Services Canada was going to do an internal review at one point, Slett said, but the agency wasn’t able to find a record of the incident in their system.
BMO had apologized for the incident in the past and issued a statement about the settlement Thursday.
“We are pleased that we have reached a settlement with Mr. Johnson and his granddaughter,” it read. “This was an important step for BMO toward reconciliation and we hope that the Johnsons reach the resolution and closure they deserve.”
Other terms of the settlement include a monetary payment to Johnson and his granddaughter and a private apology ceremony.
Meanwhile, Johnson said, his granddaughter is glad to have at least part of the more than two-year saga closed.
“She’s very happy with where we’re heading now she wants to move on with her life and put all this behind her now,” he said.
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