Fact Check: Canada Did Not Install ‘Open Defecation’ Billboards Targeting Indians - Viral Image Is From Ghana
The widely circulated image actually traces back to a 2018 sanitation campaign in Accra, Ghana
An image of a billboard featuring men defecating in the open, alongside the message “Beaches are not toilets,” is circulating widely on social media. The billboard also displays a government logo and the UNICEF emblem along with the government of Canada mark. The post sharing this image claims that the Canadian government has installed such posters in municipalities with large Indian populations, urging Indians not to engage in open defecation. Here's the screenshot of the claim.
Viral claim is archived here
Fact Check:
The claim that the Canadian government installed billboards in areas with large Indian populations, urging Indians not to defecate openly, is false. The viral image is from Ghana, Africa.
To verify the viral claim, we conducted a reverse image search on the circulating photo. This led us to the original version of the billboard on Shutterstock. Shutterstock is an online platform that provides a vast library of licensed stock media, including images and videos. The image details on the website read: “ACCRA, GHANA / MAY 1, 2018: The billboard ‘Beaches are not toilets’ on the street of Accra.” The caption of the image indicates that it was taken in Accra, Ghana, Africa.
A comparison shows that the individual featured on the original billboard is entirely different from the man seen in the viral photo, and the original version does not contain any Hindi text.
For further clarification about the campaign, we conducted a keyword search and found news reports from 2018 that provide context for the billboard installed in Ghana. According to a report published by Graphic.com, the billboard was part of a “Stop Open Defecation” sanitation campaign sponsored by the Canadian government.
A report by the National Post states that Canadian diplomats felt compelled to justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a campaign aimed at open defecation in Ghana, amid questions regarding the use of development funds. The report cites internal documents that reveal concerns over how the aid money was being allocated.
We also conducted a keyword search to determine whether the Canadian government had launched any such campaign targeting Indians, but found no credible reports or official information to support this claim. This further confirms that the original billboard from Ghana has been digitally altered.
Hence the viral claim that the Canadian government installed billboards targeting Indians and asking them not to defecate openly is false. The image originates from a 2018 sanitation campaign in Accra, Ghana, and has been digitally altered. There is no evidence of any such campaign targeting Indians in Canada.