‘Hate is hate:' concerns raised over t-shirt design spoofing Tim Hortons logo while taking aim at newcomers
The design by a company called AlbertaUnchained says 'Singh Hortons - now hiring immigrants.'
Offensive clothes July 25, 2025
An online retailer is being called out for selling offensive t-shirts that take aim at racialized people who work for Tim Horton's.
(CTV Calgary)
It resembles the fonts and logos for Tim Hortons.
Singh is a common South Asian name.
'A piece of satire'
In an emailed statement to CTV the company says: To clarify, the 'Singh Horton's' design is a piece of satire. It is not racially motivated, nor is it intended to target any community."
Offensive clothes, July 25, 2025
An online retailer is selling offensive shirts that take aim at racialized people who work for Tim Horton's.
(CTV Calgary)
AlbertaUnchained did not answer our questions about who is operating this company, where they are based, or how many items with this design have been sold.
Yet, leaders with the group Stop Hate AB say there's nothing funny about it, as humour is often used as a veil for anti-immigrant sentiment, racism and prejudice.
The group 'Stop Hate AB' says it's important to stand up to all forms of hate large or small.
'Hate is hate, and it's in many different forms,' said Nina Saini, executive director for the group.
'If we allow this type of action to be present in our communities and don't speak against it, then in a way we are accepting it and that makes us a part of the problem as well.'
Powerful tools
She also says that outrage and public condemnation can be powerful tools to make change.
Tim Hortons declined an interview about the t-shirt design, but told CTV its 100,000 workers 'are members of our local communities and do not deserve to be exposed to such blatant racism.'
It later added '... we will be taking swift action to hold the people behind this accountable.'
Since the early 2010s, Tim Hortons' hiring practices have come under fire, for the company's reliance on temporary foreign workers, for paying low wages and reducing opportunities in communities with high youth unemployment.
Legal experts say the clothing design does not meet the legal definition of a hate crime, but agrees it shows prejudice.
'It's when it becomes harmful to others -- that's when potentially they can become criminal,' said Doug King, a justice studies professor at Mt Royal University.
He says an effective way to condemn prejudicial ideas is 'through the cleansing light of publicity.'
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