Following the removal of almost 100 Sikhs from their positions for failing to comply with the requirement, the city of Toronto announced on Tuesday that it is providing an exception to its “clean shave” directive for security officers assigned at shelters affected by Covid-19.
The Canadian city officially contacted contracted security companies and “reiterated its expectations that they correctly accommodate any Sikh security guard employees who have requested religious exemptions and swiftly reinstate any employee whose employment has been terminated.” The city will not hire any contractors who do not respect religious liberty, according to a statement from the administration.
Recently, the city ordered that all guards wear N95 respirators that fit directly on their faces and forbade the growing of facial hair. As a result, Sikhs who refused to remove their beard for religious reasons were fired from or transferred to security firms hired by the city.
As a “fair accommodation alternative for those who maintain facial hair as a tenet of their faith and are obliged to be present at city sites with protective N95 respirator regulations,” Toronto will right away authorize “under-mask beard covers.”
The covering is a technique for hiding a beard with a tight-fitting mask that covers the chin, cheeks, and top of the head. The lid is then covered with a N95 mask. The method, also known as the Singh Thattha Method, is employed by many Sikhs in the medical field and has been proven to be very successful in respirator fit testing, according to a press release.
Under-mask beard covers are now an option, and Toronto has informed its security contractors that “any impacted contracted security guard workers should be restored to these city shelter locations promptly and they should be suitably paid for any financial effect” (emphasis added).
The World Sikh Organization brought up the issue (WSO). It said in a statement on Monday that it had written to John Tory, the mayor of Toronto, and every member of the city council on June 7 to request “an urgent resolution to the current situation.”
