A boycott of a local ice cream manufacturer has ended positively according to the company's owner.
Chapman's Ice Cream was targeted recently online over the company's COVID-19 vaccination policy, which included a $1-per-hour bump to any employee that was double-vaccinated, but Vice President Ashley Chapman says the emergence of the hashtag "#IStandWithChapmans" has led to an overwhelmingly-positive response from Chapman's customers across the country.
Chapman tells CKNX "We came to the conclusion that here we are, as a company, giving money to unvaccinated people that work for us, whereas the vast majority, over 90%, of our employees have been vaccinated. So we thought, you know what? This isn't fair".
Chapman is referring to the cost associated with acquiring rapid test kits for unvaccinated employees, noting they were going to continue employing those that weren't vaccinated, but they would have to submit to a rapid test twice per week.
Chapman said "We figured the cost-per-unvaccinated employee was going to be around $40. Came to conclusion that if we were going to spend this money on unvaccinated people, we should be spending the same amount of those that are vaccinated".
"That's when we put up the policy regarding the $1.00-per-hour increase for vaccinated employees".
This was when a targeting campaign, seemingly led by "anti-vaxxers" from across Canada, was launched, leading to a hugely-negative response for the Markdale-based ice cream maker.
Asked if he had received threats, Chapman said "Oh yes, absolutely".
"Voicemail messages left to us were unreal" said Chapman. "Most threatening ones were anonymous. One gentleman left a very aggressive message on my father's answering machine, accusing him of being like Hitler, and that he was a Nazi, and that we should all be hauled in front of a judge and tried".
Soon after the negative response, however, came what Chapman described as an "Overwhelmingly-positive outpouring of support" from customers across the country, sending the hashtag "#IStandWithChapmans" trending.
Chapman says the company's reputation remains intact, and they will continue to pay workers "Well above a living wage" and continue to make donations that benefit the local community.