WINDSOR, ONT. -- The construction of Windsor’s first Chick-fil-A restaurant has broken ground, but it’s stirring up debate again by a local Facebook group who is opposed to the chain.
Windsor city council approved the site plan for the vacant land on Howard Avenue near the Devonshire Mall to be the site of Windsor’s first Chick-fil-A, despite local protesting.
“Chick-fil-A is trying to promote what they call family values,” Hedy Halpern tells CTV News. “But they don’t include any members of the family that look like us. If you are white, male and heterosexual that’s really who they want you to be.”
Halpern is part of a Facebook group called ‘Keep Chick-fil-A Out of Windsor.’
The group opposes the company’s ideology stating the fast food chain discriminates and is homophobic.
“No group that promotes hatred of another group should be allowed into Canada,” Halpern says.
The controversial reputation allegedly stems from CEO Dan Cathy’s stance on the LGBTQ community.
Cathy has previously said he believes in the “biblical definition of a family unit” and has donated millions to charities with a history of discrimination against LGBTQ groups.
The chain’s grant opening in Toronto was met by both protesters and those welcoming the restaurant with open arms.
The fast food chain did not return calls for email for comment Saturday, but according to the Fortis Group, with each new Chick-fil-A built in Canada, the chain will donate $25,000 to a local food bank.
As for Halpern, she is encouraging people to stay away.
“Vote with your dollars,” Helpern says. “Don’t go there. Don’t buy their food. If they don’t have enough business they won’t stay. That’s my biggest hope.”
