Toronto City Council did not react as quickly as it should have done when a complaint was filed weeks ago about a discriminatory masking policy for homeless shelter workers and similar environments, says Mayor John Tory.
The policy in question comes from the city’s masking mandate. The mandate requires all personnel working in homeless service environments to come into contact with customers suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 wearing an N95 respirator. It also applies to configurations where there is a suspected or declared outbreak of the virus.
According to the city council, all workers must be properly equipped for these protective devices and having facial hair prevents this from happening.
On June 7, Balpreet Singh, of the Sikh World Organization (WSO) of Canada, wrote to Tory and city council members to demand an “urgent resolution” after more than 100 security guards were employed by a third party. were fired or reassigned. minor positions for non-compliance with the policy.
But the city only took action on Monday after several media reports detailing Singh’s affair.
He said he has now instructed security companies under contract to welcome their employees with religious exemptions.
Speaking to the media this morning, Tory said he was “not happy” that the situation had gotten to this point, as it should have been resolved “before it ever came to public attention”.
“(These workers) deserve better than that. … There is always accommodation, ”he said, adding that he would also like to see the contractors involved (ASP Security Services, Garda World and Star Security) apologizing.
“I hope the city staff continues to investigate how this happened because it really is a failure in the process.”
Tory, who also described the situation as a matter for companies that do not “understand the city’s policy”, said he is “very disappointed that this (issue) has not been addressed before”.
He went on to reiterate that there is no city policy that allows contractors to fire their employees for religious beliefs or not accommodate them, adding that they have now made it clear “if it wasn’t before.”
Tory said the city is “insistent” that any worker who has been degraded or fired because of their religious requirements be “immediately accommodated” and “reinstated.”
This recent incident with the Sikh community is one that affects all religious groups, Tory said, as others may also question whether their religious rights will be accommodated, whether they get a job or are hired by the city.
“We have to do better than that.… (Toronto) a city that welcomes and embraces people of all religions and accommodating those religions is an equally clear thing,” he said.
Singh, of the Sikh World Organization, said that apart from re-hiring the affected workers and compensating them for lost wages, the N95 “clean-shaving” mask adjustment policy should be reviewed or even discard it.
“A normal medical mask is more than enough for 99.9% of situations and I don’t understand in what situation a security guard would be close enough or in a situation where someone is intubating. It doesn’t make sense,” he said.
At the moment, the city said it is assessing the situation, but for now, the policy remains in place.