A long‑standing local restaurant chain in the Calgary-area is under fire after posts online appeared to mock Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
Paul’s Pizza, a business operating in Airdrie since 1995 with additional Calgary locations, posted a message on its official Facebook page last week promoting half-price deals on Thursday.
“But full price for members of the MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+, so that they can feel special in our safe space,” the post went on to read.
When a Facebook user questioned the reference to MMIWG, the restaurant’s account replied, saying, “If they are missing and murdered, then unfortunately, they aren’t getting any special pricing.”
Last week’s now-deleted Facebook post and subsequent reply sparked outrage from many online, including calls for accountability, and an online petition demanding action from the City of Airdrie.
Some residents interviewed by CityNews on Tuesday expressed indifference, saying online comments wouldn’t influence their dining choices. Others emphasized the importance of free speech, even when they disagreed with the content.
But Airdrie Mayor Heather Spearman took a firm stance in the days following, posting a public statement, writing that the issue touches on “real people, real families, and real communities living with unimaginable grief and loss.”
“This is not about politics or labels,” she wrote. “Airdrie is a community built on care, respect, and looking out for one another.”
The restaurant owner has followed up with posts claiming he was unaware of what “MMIWG” meant and that he was attempting to make jokes criticizing the 2SLGBTQIA+ acronym and terminology.
“Obviously, I don’t support Indigenous women (or any woman) being murdered,” reads a post from the restaurant. “My dig is at the alphabet community.”
An online petition has since emerged, arguing that the restaurant’s posts “promote harmful, hateful, and divisive stereotypes” and urging the city to review Paul’s Pizza’s business licence under community‑standards bylaws.
In a follow‑up post, Spearman addressed growing calls for the city to shut the business down. She clarified that municipal governments do not have the authority to close a business over offensive speech, warning that such power would set a dangerous precedent.
“The mayor can’t just drop a hammer and make a decision in a scenario like the one so many of you are asking about,” she wrote, noting that licensing bylaws are limited in scope and not designed to address discriminatory comments.
The City of Airdrie also stated that social media content falls outside its jurisdiction, but encouraged residents to report concerning posts to the RCMP non‑emergency line, the Alberta Human Rights Commission, or the Better Business Bureau.
CityNews reached out to Paul’s Pizza for further comment but did not receive a response before broadcast.
