Image tarnished

On Feb. 7, 2015, you published an article that described the Saskatchewan Motorcycle Coalition as “the governing council of the province’s outlaw biker gangs” (Inside Project Forseti: Outlaws’ threat creates Saints).

We are puzzled that a newspaper of your stature would print an assertion as damaging as that without first ensuring its accuracy. Had you undertaken the most rudimentary fact-checking, you would have found the following.

The Coalition is a registered non-profit corporation which since 2011 has promoted the rights of all motorcycle riders in the province. In 2013, for example, Coalition members successfully opposed exorbitant insurance rate hikes that would have unfairly singled out motorcyclists.

In addition to its lobbying activities, the Coalition helps its members organize and promote a variety of charitable fundraisers throughout the year. The Coalition itself makes substantial annual donations to men’s health research.

As an inclusive umbrella organization that represents the interests of all motorcycle riders in Saskatchewan, the Coalition does indeed comprise certain clubs which some members of the public may view unfavourably.

However, the Coalition also includes the following: Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA); the Christian-oriented Apostles Motorcycle Society; the Union Ironworkers Motorcycle Club; and the Canadian Legion of Riders, a group whose primary purpose is to support Canada’s troops and veterans. Hardly a Who’s Who of “outlaw biker gangs.”