Complaint filed over TV show

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: August 05, 2008

A Coldstream man has launched a fight over what he believes is discrimination against Christians. Dean Skoreyko has filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against Showcase Television and Kenneth Hotz, one of the stars of the series Kenny vs. Spenny. Skoreyko is upset with a recent episode in which a plane carried a banner over Toronto which reads: ‘Jesus Sucks.’ “A lot of people are offended,” said Skoreyko, who has talked to both friends and relatives about the episode. “My niece and nephew are proud of their church and beliefs and here’s another bashing of it.” Skoreyko questions if the episode would have aired if the banner had targeted someone from another religion. “It seems to be OK to poke fun at the (Christian) majority,” he said. Skoreyko first became aware of the banner by reading an article in a national newspaper. He then went online to see the episode.

The banner was apparently flown over Toronto because Hotz and his co-host Spencer Rice were competing to see how many people they could offend. Skoreyko is now waiting to see if the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal will accept his complaint and pursue the matter. Skoreyko’s actions have generated considerable media coverage across the country and debate on various Internet sites. Skoreyko is troubled by the tone of some of the comments. “You can’t even have a discussion or opinion about it,” he said, adding that some people have been threatening. “It’s just become childish all of a sudden.” Skoreyko ran for mayor of Vernon in 2005, and he has announced he will seek a seat on city council this November. Neither Showcase or Hotz could be reached for comment.