Sooke Brewing Company says it has fired co-owner and head brewer John Adair after backlash over a “Show me the evidence” T-shirt worn on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
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Sooke Brewing Company says it has fired co-owner and head brewer John Adair following online backlash over a photo of him wearing a T-shirt at the brewery on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The photo, which included the message “Show me the evidence,” circulated online on Threads and was also posted on Reddit in several subreddits, where users voiced outrage and disgust.
The brewery said the backlash led to a large influx of one-star Google reviews on its page, many of them referencing the T-shirt.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours Survivors of the residential school system, the children who never returned home, and their families and communities.
In an initial statement on Thursday morning, the ownership group apologized and said the person in the photo was part of its ownership group, calling the T-shirt “offensive.”
The ownership group said, “We want to be unequivocal: the message displayed on that shirt does not reflect the values of Sooke Brewing Company,” adding that the incident was “inappropriate and unacceptable” and apologizing for harm caused by the T-shirt, especially within the Indigenous community.
After the first apology, Sooke Brewing Company issued a second statement later Thursday morning, publicly naming Adair and saying his termination was “effective immediately,” and that his “views and actions do not reflect the values of Sooke Brewing Company, its ownership or its staff.”
The company said it was “devastated by his actions,” decided to close the brewery “for now,” and said it had contacted local First Nations leaders to listen to concerns and guide next steps.
In a final statement on Thursday afternoon, Sooke Brewing Company said all events at the brewery were cancelled and thanked people who had supported it over the years.
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