McNish was the face of Mythology, which touted itself as an elevated vegan dining experience. It was part of a string of vegan businesses called Vegandale that began cropping up in the west Toronto neighbourhood of Parkdale in 2016, all run by the same company.Does your workplace have an issue with systemic racism, sexism, or a toxic culture? You can contact reporters Manisha Krishnan
and Anya Zoledziowski by email at
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Another former colleague of McNish’s, who did not want herself named out of fear of reprisal, said McNish was “always looking at my butt or my breasts.” She said one day in the summer of 2009, while she was wearing a tank top, he asked if she was wearing a bra “and made his grunting, disgusting lewd noise.” “He was always driving everything towards some dirty sexual talk,” she said. Rob Storm, one of McNish’s former business associates, said while he was picking up food from Public Kitchen one day, McNish told two female staff members he’d like to see them make out.“I have fully and publicly acknowledged that there were times in the past that… were insensitive and careless, and for that I am deeply sorry.”
McNish did not respond to specific accusations of sexism in his statement to VICE World News, but said, “I have fully and publicly acknowledged that there were times in the past that, upon reflection over the years and now, were insensitive and careless, and for that I am deeply sorry.” He also noted that the male-dominated environments he worked in “needed to change then, and where they still exist, need to change now.” Evan, 29, who is trans and non-binary, said McNish would frequently misgender them and other trans and nonbinary staff at Mythology. “I don’t remember Doug ever once correctly gendering me,” they said. “I guess I made the assumption that because he’s vegan he’s going to be compassionate towards me and others.” In response to McNish’s behaviour, the Mythology team held a meeting in the summer of 2018 pertaining to using people’s pronouns correctly, Evan said, but “Doug just sat there shaking his head and rolling his eyes the entire time and making scoffing noises.”“I guess I made the assumption that because he’s vegan he’s going to be compassionate towards me and others.”
In a separate incident at a staff party a few years ago, Gilchrist said she walked in on McNish defending his right to use the N-word because his Black friends had said it was OK. “I tried to educate and it didn’t do anything. He just dug his heels in more,” she said. Gilchrist said for a long time, she kept her experiences with McNish quiet. But the increased awareness around anti-Black racism—and seeing some vegans tout the All Lives Matter mantra earlier this year—spurred her to come forward. “People don’t like call-out culture and cancel culture and honestly I am a fan of (the idea that) people can grow and learn and change and make better choices,” she said. “But he was just so applauded for everything he did and got every opportunity, ahead of women, ahead of people of colour, ahead of trans chefs. He just seemed to get it all, so I think that was really frustrating for a lot of people.” Gilchrist said she wants to see members of her community speak up about overlapping social justice issues like feminism, anti-racism, as well as animal rights.“I tried to educate and it didn’t do anything. He just dug his heels in more.”