Ottawa ice cream shop closing on Canada Day over oppression of Indigenous peoples

Moo Shu Ice Cream on Bank Street. (Moo Shu Ice Cream/Facebook)

Moo Shu Ice Cream will be closed on Canada Day again this year to acknowledge Canada's treatment of Indigenous people.

"We choose not to celebrate the ongoing colonization, oppression and genocide of Indigenous peoples of this land," Moo Shu Ice Cream said in a social media post.

Instead, staff at the popular Ottawa ice cream business will spend the day with Anna Cote, Mike Diabo and other Indigenous knowledge keepers at Minobideg Learning.

"Where we will be exploring and learning about earth stewardship from an Anishnabeg worldview."

Moo Shu will also stay closed on Saturday as a safety precaution for staff members due to the possibility of protests in downtown Ottawa over the Canada Day weekend.

Last year, the store was closed on Canada Day and on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.

In a social media post before Canada Day 2021, Moo Shu said, "the more we educated ourselves about the experience of Indigenous peoples in this country, the less it feels like we should celebrate this day and profit from it."

"We are angry and disappointed at settler inaction and ignorance, including our own. How do we move forward thoughtfully in a way that positively impacts Indigenous communities and deeply impacts the way we create and engage with our communities in the long-term? Where do we start?" Moo Shu said in a social media post last year.

"In evaluating where we have the resources to make the most impact, we turn to food. We know how much food is at the heart of staying connected to our culture. It's pretty much the whole reason why Moo Shu Ice Cream started to begin with."