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Anti-mask woman at Calgary Fabricland made staff 'uncomfortable'

A woman who walked into a Calgary Fabricland and was told by employees that she had to wear a mask got into a confrontation with staff and other customers, including one who recorded her outburst. (YouTube)
A woman who walked into a Calgary Fabricland and was told by employees that she had to wear a mask got into a confrontation with staff and other customers, including one who recorded her outburst. (YouTube)

A video confrontation of a woman refusing to wear a mask inside a Fabricland store has gone viral.

Maddie Lemaistre, the store manager at the Calgary location where the incident took place, told Yahoo News Canada that it was an uncomfortable situation.

The argument with staff and other patrons happened on Sunday around noon, and the video video clip began circulating yesterday.

Lemaistre said that the store has had mask issues in the past, but not to this extent.

“[I felt] a little uncomfortable for everybody else. She just wouldn’t listen,” Lemaistre said.

The woman in the video with blonde hair and wearing all black is seen mocking and arguing with the employees, calling them “sheep” and saying they need to “educate themselves.”

She is also seen getting close to the customer recording the encounter.

“Oh no, I touched you. I’m going to get COVID,” the woman said in the video.

Lemaistre is seen in the video asking the woman to leave as she is being “aggressive” towards another customer.

“I was just a little surprised. I thought once the customer left that that would be the end of it,” Lemaistre said. “Didn’t expect anything more would come of it.”

The woman later demands the employees give her an apology when COVID-19 is proven to be a hoax.

“Nobody is sick,” she said before exiting the store. “Educate yourselves. Go online and read and learn.”

The woman also took to Facebook to share her concerns. "If you don't stand up for something then you'll fall for anything," she stated in her Facebook comment.

Text from the Facebook comment shown in the image: I am 'this lady'...the gal who videotaped was the aggressive one, not me...she knew that by taking out her phone and doing this she would cause me to react and she could get some really good video and she would somehow become relevant...I have my doubts she really cares about people dying from anything... like suicide, alcoholism, drug overdose, untreated cancer etc... well the joke is on her.... 1. I think I look fabulous, 2. I am so proud of myself for having the guts to stand up for myself - there were several people against just me, and they were ever so brave chiming in with their negative comments once they knew I was outnumbered, so, so brave, 3. I plan on spreading this video far and wide! If you don't stand up for something then you'll fall for anything. Advice to people in stores who want to enforce the mask law: if one person had of approached me and had any sort of empathy for me and took me aside and caringly explained things then I could have left with some dignity.... but they decided cornering me like an animal, forcing a reaction would be way more fun to video, post the video and try and shame me. It's about entertainment people - nobody really cares about people dying.
The woman seen in the video filmed at a Calgary Fabricland posted on Facebook, standing by her actions. (Facebook)

Masks have been mandatory in Calgary as per the bylaw since Aug. 1, 2020. Failure to wear a mask can lead to a $50 fine.

Fabricland has a policy on the use of masks in its store locations. Lemaistre added that companies are allowed to make their own policies regarding masks. However, Fabricland is offering curbside pickup to customers as an alternative, so customers can still get what they need and are not denied service if they choose not to wear a mask.

Following the incident, #Fabricland was trending on Twitter and the video has received over one million views on Twitter. It was also posted on Reddit, but has since been removed.