Mayor Brian Bowman and Native leaders at today's press conference. Photo from Twitter

Brian Bowman, the first Native mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, vowed to change the city's reputation as the most racist Canada.

Surrounded by Native leaders and activists at a press conference, Bowman admitted he was upset by the label bestowed upon the city by Maclean's magazine this week. But he said he was committed to addressing a problem that has festered despite a strong Native presence in the region.

“Ignorance, hatred, intolerance, racism exists everywhere. Winnipeg has a responsibility right now to turn this ship around and change the way we all relate: Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, Canadians alike, from coast to coast to coast,” Bowman, who is Metis, said today, Maclean's reported. “We are here together to face this head-on as one community.”

The city's racist reputation was exposed during the recent mayoral campaign. The wife of one candidate was forced to apologize after lashing out against "drunken Native guys" by whom she felt threatened on downtown streets.

"I'm not here to pacify. I want people to continue to stand up and be strong," said Grand Chief Derek Nepinak of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, who is suing a local teacher for making racist statements about Native people on Facebook, CBC News reported. "Let's have this dialogue now because we're strong enough as a society to overcome it together."

The Maclean's cover story also said last summer's brutal murder of Tina Fontaine, a 15-year-old Native girl, shone a light on the city's problems. The crime remains unsolved.

Get the Story:
Maclean's claim that Winnipeg is Canada's most racist city upsets mayor (CBC 1/22)
Winnipeg mayor breaks down while responding to ‘most racist city’ label (CP 1/22)
Mayor Bowman Ready To Tackle Racism (CJOB 1/22)
Winnipeg leaders vow to face racism head-on (Mclean's 1/22)

An Opinion:
Paul Wells: Winnipeg rises to a challenge (Maclean's 1/22)

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