Hospital system apologizes after Brampton Sikh man’s beard shaved [Video]

Leaders of a major Ontario health system are apologizing after staff at one of its hospitals shaved a Sikh man’s beard without permission from him or his family and in violation of his religious principles.

Dr. Frank Martino, president and CEO of the William Osler Health System in Brampton, and Pardeep Singh Gill, board chair, issued a public apology Wednesday.

“Recently, we failed to uphold religious and cultural care practices when a Sikh patient’s beard was shaved without consent and without medical necessity. We take full responsibility for this incident and have extended our deepest apologies to the patient and his family,” the joint statement said. 

“We also want to extend our apology to the Sikh community and the exceptional culturally diverse community that we serve … Although we can’t go back and undo what has been done, we are committed to learning from this and making changes to help …