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.
These masks, which need a good seal around the nose and mouth, cannot fit properly on people with beards.
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 of Canada’s World Sikh Organization (WSO), based in Ottawa, said this “unfair and unnecessary” policy has led to the layoff or reassignment of more than 100 security guards because their faith requires them not to cut or shave your 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 Singh, 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.”
Singh, 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.
“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.
In a statement, City of Toronto spokesman Brad 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,” Singh 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.
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