Skip to Main content

10.28°^C Vancouver

News Entertainment Videos Shows Podcast Contact Us

Sep 28, 2020 7:29 PM -

No safe mask option for bearded members, RCMP says, but force is exploring solutions

Share On

no-safe-mask-option-for-bearded-members-rcmp-says-but-force-is-exploring-solutions

The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. The RCMP has arrested and charged an Ontario man with falsely claiming to have committed terrorist acts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The RCMP says there is no safe and proven face covering for officers with beards, but it is working to find one for Sikh members temporarily sidelined from front-line policing.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has publicly expressed disappointment that Sikh RCMP officers find themselves on desk duty during the COVID-19 pandemic because their religiously mandated facial hair makes it difficult to properly wear a mask.

In a statement today, the RCMP says while a respirator, such as an N95 mask, is not mandatory in all front-line situations, it is sometimes required to reduce risk.

The national police force says it is in a unique position compared to other police services because it is subject to the Canada Labour Code and Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

The RCMP says it continues to explore ways to address the mask issue.

Latest news

WorldSep 24, 2025

3 people shot at immigration facility in Dallas and the shooter is dead, official says

The director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says three people have been shot at a Dallas ICE facility and the shooter is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons confirmed the shooting during an interview on CNN on Wednesday. Lyons said it wasn't immediately known whether employees, civilians or detainees were shot. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says details were still emerging, but the agency was confirming there were ``multiple injuries and fatalities'' at the field office. Dozens of emergency vehicles were seen along a highway near the

AlbertaSep 24, 2025

Alberta won’t enforce federal firearm buyback

The Alberta government is calling a federal gun buyback program an ``attack on law-abiding firearms owners.'' A pilot project in Nova Scotia will be open to eligible gun owners in parts of Cape Breton before being rolled out nationwide. Participants can either deactivate their firearm using a licensed gunsmith or return it to police. Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis say the province will not be enforcing the ``gun grab,'' and they expect law enforcement to focus on violent criminals, not hunters and sport shooters.

b-c-advances-new-mass-timber-demonstration-projects

B.C. advances new mass-timber demonstration projects

Four new buildings in B.C. are each receiving $500,000 — totalling $2 million — to demonstrate and showcase the benefits of mass-timber construction. “Mass timber represents a transformative, locally sourced solution that’s generating significant employment opportunities, spurring cutting-edge innovation, and revitalizing rural economies across British Columbia,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth. “Through our continued strategic investments in projects throughout the province, we’re positioning B.C. as a leader in mass-timber construction, while building the

dera-beas-chief-visits-bikram-majithia-in-nabha-jail

IndiaSep 23, 2025

Dera Beas chief visits Bikram Majithia in Nabha jail

Dera Beas chief Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon reached Nabha jail today, where he met Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. The Akali leader (Bikram Majithia) has been kept in judicial custody in the jail by the Punjab government in a case of exceeding income.The two held a closed-door meeting that lasted 35 minutes, jail officials said. Reports quoted a jail official who requested anonymity, “The Dera Beas chief had sought permission to meet Majithia as a family member, and it was granted strictly according to the jail manual.” Dhillon has close family ties with Majithia’s wife

search-for-missing-five-year-old-boy-in-southern-alberta-enters-third-day

AlbertaSep 23, 2025

Search for missing five-year-old boy in southern Alberta enters third day

The search for a five-year-old boy in southwestern Alberta is entering its third day. RCMP say two nights of searches have yielded no results in finding Darius Macdougall. Macdougall went missing Sunday after he didn't return from a walk with six family members to their campsite near Island Lake Campground, south of Crowsnest Pass. Mounties have said people should avoid the area and leave the search to the professionals. Darius is described as four feet tall with short brown hair, and he was last seen wearing a blue-grey hoodie and sweatpants. Police said the boy has autism, w

Related News

Gary Anandasangaree announces government gun buyback program

Gary Anandasangaree announces government gun buyback program

Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has announced the launch of the government's gun buyback program. Anandasangaree said that starting Tuesday, the government is launching a voluntary gun buyback program with a pilot project in Nova Scotia and it will be fully implemented after the fall. The minister said that we are serious about removing assault-style weapons from our communities and they have no place in Canada. In May 2020, the Canadian government declared about 2,500 types of guns illegal as part of a strategy to combat gun violence. The Public Safety Minister said that t

Canadian-resident return trips from U.S. in July was down 32.4 per cent

Canadian-resident return trips from U.S. in July was down 32.4 per cent

Statistics Canada says more U.S. residents came to Canada in July than Canadian residents returned from the U.S. for only the second time in nearly two decades, excluding the pandemic period. The same imbalance happened in June this year, but before that it was June 2006 when it last occurred, excluding August and September in 2021 during the pandemic. The shift has come as Canadians have shunned travel to the U.S. in the face of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods. The number of Canadian-resident return trips from the United States in July was down 32.4 per cent y

No gun was seized from teenager shot dead by Montreal-area police: watchdog

No gun was seized from teenager shot dead by Montreal-area police: watchdog

The head of Quebec's police watchdog says her officers seized a baseball bat, a backpack and ski masks after police shot dead a teenager over the weekend on Montreal's South Shore. But Brigitte Bishop told reporters today that no sharp-edged weapons appear to have been part of the haul, and the only firearm seized came from the officer who shot and killed the teen. Police have not identified the victim, but witnesses have said he was a 15-year-old boy and the local school service centre confirmed that the victim was a student. The teen was shot dead on Sunday afternoon after police responded t

Legals

Journalism code of ethics

© 2021 AKASH Broadcasting Inc.

MANAGED BY STRATWIT

useful links

Accessibility Plan

BC Children's Hospital