Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith took to social media to respond to a post by MPP Hardeep Grewal about his visit to Huntsville.
Grewal, a Sikh MPP for Brampton East and Associate Minister of Transportation, took to X on Sunday and expressed his disappointment at hateful slurs directed at him and his family while enjoying ice cream during a visit to Huntsville.
“It is not the first time this has happened, but today I feel compelled to speak out about how exhausting and painful it is. Today in downtown Muskoka, while sharing ice cream with my family, two strangers decided to share their hate instead. One yelled, “Hey turban head, go home,” before speeding off. Another, walking by, said, “You all should die.” In that moment, I was reminded that the fight against hate is far from over. But our strength is louder. Ontario is our home. It belongs to all of us. To my Sikh brothers and sisters, stay vigilant, stay proud, and stay strong. Hate never wins. Good will always triumph.”
Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith responded, noting that racism is unacceptable and that hate never wins.
“I’m sick reading this. Hardeep and his family are not only visitors to our area — which we should always be grateful for — he’s also my caucus colleague, my friend, and, to all who know him, a man of kindness. Racism is unacceptable. Period. I stand with him. Hate never wins,” he stated.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also weighed in. “Our province is built on the kind of respect, diversity and inclusion that make our communities stronger. Hardeep is a dedicated public servant and a valued member of our party and caucus. I’m extremely disappointed he had to experience this hateful language.”
Doppler reached out to MPP Grewal’s office but did not receive a response.
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Good opportunity for Mr. Grewal MPP to explain to the newcomers to understand and obey the laws of Canada.
My immediate thoughts on hearing of another hateful incident in the downtown area, was that we need to have some community policing presence to make our visitors and others more secure and to discourage these events. But now I deeply appreciate Lisa Brooks’ thoughtful comment about her experiences growing up in Huntsville. Better than policing, her suggestion that we can be a town of survivors and healers, teaching our kids and showing kindness to everyone.
I think we’ve been over this before and will do it again. Just as some of the bullies and boors will do it again. It’s not special that it happened in our town, just unfortunate it did. But other than confronting these jerks with the law, there is little to prevent this. Some peoples children will never be ‘house-broken.’
These people don’t want to confront. They want to run their mouth and flee. Unless they can be identified to the police, they can just walk away. Gone are the days when people could rise in their own defense. We have courts and judges and lawyers who will rip you one for acting on your own behalf. And society at large will cringe at the thought of a little bit of pay back.
“He pushed you and called you everything under the sun. And spat on you. I know that. But you fought back. You struck him. You are guilty. Guilty. Guilty!” That’s the way it goes now.
So unless people can confront these jerks (everyone has a cell phone today), call the police (have them show up), bring them before a judge for hate speech (likely released on their promise to become better citizens), where’s the deterrent?
So to Mr. Grewal, as one person to the other, to bad this happened. To anybody. In anybody’s town.
But if anyone thinks I should be apologizing for the actions of every odd-ball, anal pore and misfit that walks the streets of our towns, it won’t be happening. It’s too bad but there’s just too many of them out there these days.
Lisa Brooks that is quite a note and although true in many ways you have not acknowledged a reverse. The newcomers should kindly acknowledge we have laws in Canada and they deserve respect. Many of those laws are broken it seems . On the reverse side, improvement is needed now.
We have to be honest — this isn’t just a “few bad apples” moment. What happened to MPP Hardeep Grewal and his family in downtown Huntsville — being told to “go home” and even “you all should die” — didn’t come out of nowhere. No family should ever have to hear words like that, least of all while sharing ice cream on a sunny afternoon. It’s not new, and it’s not just imported from the south. It’s part of something that’s been quietly brewing here for generations: a small-town social hierarchy built on gossip, pride, resentment, and survival — now amplified by politics that reward outrage and online echo chambers that keep it burning.
In towns like ours, people have long been judged by who their parents were, what they did, and how much they had — or didn’t. Those who worked seasonally or relied on tourism often carried quiet resentment toward the very visitors and employers who kept the local economy alive. Over time, gossip became a kind of social currency. People learned to protect themselves by striking first — tearing others down before they could be hurt themselves. Belonging wasn’t measured by what you built, but by who you could discredit.
My father’s family has lived here for generations — likely with First Nations roots — and my mother’s family came from England. My English grandmother never spoke ill of anyone; she simply didn’t believe in it. Maybe that’s why I noticed early how much of local life revolved around who was being torn down next. When you grow up hearing people discuss their neighbours’ most personal struggles — sometimes with laughter, sometimes with cruelty — you see how prejudice grows: not as a thunderclap, but as a quiet, constant hum.
That hum has always been there, and now it has a megaphone. What used to be whispered over coffee has moved online, where cruelty has more reach and less accountability. When gossip becomes the language of belonging, difference becomes a target. And when national politics start echoing those same patterns — when rage farming, grievance, and finger-pointing are rewarded — it feeds the worst in us.
We can’t pretend this is only about “outsiders bringing hate.” The truth is, we’ve had the soil for it here all along. What’s new is how that local resentment has found a political amplifier — a megaphone from the CPC and its media echo chambers that make anger feel like belonging. It’s a comfortable kind of hate: dressed up as patriotism, fueled by misinformation, and disguised as “standing up for Canadians.” But it’s not strength — it’s fear in a flag’s clothing.
Through my work, I’ve met people from around the world — guests, helpers, and clients who remind me how decency, curiosity, and respect can transform community. Ironically, many of them are the very people small-town gossip tends to resent or misunderstand. They’re not threatening our way of life; they’re enriching it.
There’s a deep irony in how we treat the people who keep our towns alive — in tourism, trades, health care, or seasonal work. For a place that prides itself on “community,” we’ve too often mistaken gossip for connection and superiority for self-worth. Communities don’t heal by tearing each other down — or by blaming the wrong people when we feel left behind.
And we have to be honest about something else: much of this cruelty isn’t about hate at all — it’s about insecurity. For decades, people here have used gossip as a way to feel powerful in a world where they often feel powerless. It’s a way of saying, “At least I’m better than someone.” But it comes at a cost. When that habit hardens, it becomes prejudice. And prejudice, left unchallenged, becomes hate.
What happened to Hardeep Grewal’s family should be a wake-up call — not only about racism, but about how easily casual cruelty becomes accepted culture. Huntsville can be better. But only if we face what’s real: hate doesn’t begin with strangers. It begins in how we talk about our neighbours.
We can start small — by calling things out when they happen, by teaching our kids kindness, by refusing to repeat gossip that harms. Huntsville has always been a town of survivors; we can be a town of healers too.
Hate never wins — unless we let it.
It’s funny reading this as Muskoka has always been racists. Please have a look at the real Muskoka. . Not only now but for years and years before . It did not come from the south as one writer implied , it has always been alive and well in Muskoka. Yes, I can give lots of examples.
This is an unfortunate result of the continuation of hateful rhetoric that certain individuals have been enabled with do to the constant stream of BS coming from down south of us.
I’m not saying we didn’t have it here in the past but there is a rise in racism, bigotry, and disrespect for those deemed different.
I have personally taken issue with a number of our local online forums and bulletin boards that permit the posting of racist comments.
We see this particularly when there is an accident involving trucks, the automatic response from the racist faction is “must be wearing sandals” or”no doubt a turban on that driver” or some other ignorant remark.
The sad part is that the administrators of these forums know this is happening and make no attempt at all to stop it. Even when pointed out to them they make every attempt to act like they can’t see the post or need it shown to them for proof. Facebook itself because it is under the influence of the Trump administration couldn’t care less and does nothing about porn or racism.
Section 319(1) of Canadas criminal code strongly addresses this issue and penalties can be placed on those that make or permit these statements.So why is it still happening?
I suspect that the originators of these forums and bulletin boards savior the idea of having there own thing going but are ignorant of the law or simply don’t care. Whatever it is, it is disgusting and reprehensible for them to allow it and I urge every person that sees these comments to contact the administrators and remind them of their legal responsibility to keep this in check.
There is a photography site and a local bulletin board that are the worst for this and they should take note that they could be reported. They should put permanent bans on individuals that post this stuff.
We may have free speech in this country but that does not include hate speech.
We are better than this.
Apologies to you and your family, Mr Grewal. Please think of all the people who saw you and your family and smiled at your togetherness and your enjoyment of the day. Remember that the way a person treats you is not a reflection of who you are, but a reflection of who they are. Hopefully, you will return to Muskoka again, knowing most people are happy to welcome you and to wish you joy.
Re: the racism shown against Hardeep Grewal and his family.
I can’t imagine how horrible it would feel to have strangers tell me to go home or worse, that my family should all die. To have people hate you when they don’t even know you is a terrible injustice.
Yes there has been a visible influx of people from other places in the last couple of years and it can feel a bit startling because it’s happened so rapidly. But there’s no excuse for racism. No excuse for verbally attacking someone or making someone feel unwelcome who has done nothing to you.
I hope everyone who comes here is treated kindly. That’s the small town way of life that is really at threat today – not the shade of our collective skin.
I want to express my sincere apology to the Grewal family for the racist comments they endured while visiting Huntsville. Such behaviour is unacceptable and I find it deeply shameful. It does not represent the welcoming spirit that Huntsville, Ontario, or Canada, stands for.
Sikhs are a minority group in most Southeast Asian countries and they often lack representation in government and politics: I find it especially reprehensible given that that Mr. Grewal represents us as an MPP – which should be a point of pride for Ontarians – and then he comes to Huntsville and is insulted.
As residents and visitors alike, we all share responsibility for making our community a place of respect and kindness. When we see or hear prejudice, silence cannot be an option. Speak up and stand beside those who are targeted.
We can and must do better.
I am glad that both Premier Ford and MPP Graydon Smith have spoken publicly to support their friend and colleague, but I do not remember them supporting the other reported victims of such hateful assaults in Huntsville. I hope that our own Mayor and Council will also be sending an apology and more inviting messages to the MPP Grewal and his family. This incident puts Huntsville on a “Redneck” map for tourists and others considering to bring investment and skills here. Did no-one speak up for them when it was happening? Who would want the risk of exposing their families to such behaviour while eating ice cream
( probably Nutty Chocolatier treats) on our main street? Words do matter and cost everyone. .
. Losers trying to blame their own life failures on others. Pathetic !
This is very sad and disappointing. I apologize for this intolerable behaviour in our community. I guess I am naive but I thought Huntsville was becoming a town that is warm and welcoming to all,. The people who said those comments do not represent our community or our spirit.
Susan sadly during the present world yes there are many in our community that are racists and sadly they are not outsiders they are maybe living right next door to you. Leaders of the so called free world need to lead not divide and behave like dictators
I must weigh in here and say I am so sorry for the behaviour of those two yahoos. Completely unacceptable..they probably were not even locals. People of Huntsville have been very welcoming and, in my experience, have been been very friendly to visitors and new fellow citizens to Huntsville.