A national Sikh advocacy organization has said it is prepared to take the city of Toronto to the provincial human rights tribunal if a reasonable resolution cannot be reached over its so-called “clean shave” policy.
Under Toronto’s masking mandate, which the city updated as recently as June 22, all staff at homeless shelters and similar places who come into contact with clients who are suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 must gather. or those working in settings where there is a suspected or declared outbreak of the virus must wear an N95 respirator.
Those masks, which need a good seal around the nose and mouth, can’t fit properly on people with beards, said City of Toronto spokesman Brad Ross.
Workers who cannot comply with this directive due to faith, religious beliefs, practices or rituals are given the opportunity to meet with their supervisor/manager to explore other accommodations.
Balpreet Singh Boparai of the Ottawa-based World Sikh Organization (WSO) in Canada said this “unfair and unnecessary” policy has led to the layoff or reassignment of more than 100 contract security guards because their faith requires them not to cut or shave their hair or beard.
“Such transfers often come with a demotion in both rank and salary. In many cases, individuals who were employed as supervisors or managers were demoted to security guards,” the WSO said in a July 4 release.
The group wants the city to review the policy and reinstate affected workers.
“This has wreaked havoc on the lives of these security guards,” said Boparai, who serves as the WSO’s spokesman and legal counsel.
“They have an impossible situation. … The solution is not to shave, but to realize that this rule is not necessary.”
Birkawal Singh Anand, who has been working as a security guard at a Toronto recreation center since last spring, said he recently received an email from his employer, ASP Security Services, telling him to shave off his beard or face losing his job.
“If you want to work, starting next week you’re going to have to be clean-shaven,” he told CTV Toronto.
Anand, who said shaving his facial hair would be akin to “peeling off his skin”, called the incident “embarrassing and humiliating”.
“Everyone’s freedom of speech and human rights are protected. For me, if I can’t follow my religion, it’s a disgusting thing, isn’t it,” he said.
To make matters worse, Anand said the accommodation offered to him by his employer amounted to both a demotion and a reduction in salary.
ASP security said they have tried to find accommodation for the affected workers.
Two other security companies that also have contracts with the city – Garda World and Star Security – did not respond to CTV Toronto’s request for comment on the situation.
Boparai, who last month wrote to Mayor John Tory and all City Council members to demand an “urgent resolution” to the issue, said most of the time security guards can do their jobs safely by wearing a medical mask. but said there might be “some very rare situations” where that’s not possible, and that’s understandable.
Toronto City Hall is seen on Friday, September 1, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
“But firing over 100 guards is not the right way to go about it,” he said, adding that those workers “served during the height of the COVID pandemic wearing medical masks and were not required to be clean-shaven.”
“The new clean shave rules have been introduced at a time when visitors to city sites are no longer required to be masked. The clean shave requirement also does not apply to staff and workers at city sites,” the WSO said in a release.
Speaking to CP24 on Monday evening, Boparai said he does not want to take the legal route, but his group has the option of taking the city to the Human Rights Tribunal if it does not remedy the situation.
“These security guards really feel like they’ve been used and abused and now they’re being thrown out almost like trash,” he said. “I mean they worked right up until the peak of the pandemic when their lives were actually at risk. And now no attempt has been made to house them.”
In a statement, Ross said one possible fit for an N95 mask is a full-face respirator, “but the city’s health and safety office has recommended that it is not suitable for use by security guards due to hearing and vision limitations.”
“Therefore, as city staff, contractors must accommodate their employees to another job site if they cannot be clean-shaven for religious reasons,” he said, noting that the city is “in the process of reviewing the matter and making inquiries of the contractors “.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called the policy “discriminatory” in a tweet.
“Many of these same people served us during the height of the COVID pandemic. They deserve immediate reinstatement,” he tweeted.
Back in March 2020, bearded Sikh RCMP officers were barred from front-line policing because the organization required all officers to be equipped with N95 masks. They were allowed to return to service in October 2020 after the WSO interceded on their behalf.
Add Comment