The public transit service in St. John’s, N.L., has pulled an ad from its buses deemed offensive by a mental health advocacy group.
The ad for a local store read “We smile a lot because we like you, not because we’re crazy.”
Consumers’ Health Awareness Network Newfoundland And Labrador challenged the ad saying it was offensive to individuals living with mental health issues, many of whom ride the bus.
The group said it cast a negative connotation on individuals living with mental illness and encouraged the thought that crazy people smile all the time.
Officials at Metrobus have apologized.
They said they removed the ad because it violated the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards and because proper protocol wasn’t followed.
