Ontario to exempt turbaned Sikhs from wearing helmet while riding motorcycle
Ontario to exempt turbaned Sikhs from wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle
The Ontario Government will exempt Sikhs from wearing helmets while riding a motorcycle. This new rule will come into effect from October 18.
Premier Doug Ford and Prabhmeet Sarkaria, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, said that the Ontario government has given exemption to the turbaned Sikhs from wearing helmets while riding motorcycles.
The Ontario premier’s office has issued a press release saying that the exemption of helmets will give them freedom of religious expression.
Earlier, Premier Doug Ford promised to exempt the Sikh turbaned motorcyclists from wearing helmets. On Thursday, he fulfilled his promise by allowing them to ride without helmets.
Ontario becomes the fourth state in Canada to allow turbaned Sikhs riders to ride without helmets. Earlier, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba are the other Canadian States that exempt turbaned Sikhs from wearing helmets.
Also Read: Sikhs allowed to drive motorcycles without helmets in Alberta
Premier Doug Ford also said that the government may have allowed the turbaned Sikhs to ride their bikes, but the safety of people and roads will always remain their top priority.
The Sikh Motorcycle Club of Ontario said in their Facebook post, “They announced the presentation of the bill in the house by Honorable MPP Prabhmeet Singh Sarkaria for helmet exemption for Sikh riders. Soon we will have a right to ride with our pride.”
Also Read: Home Ministry exempts Sikh women from wearing helmet in Chandigarh
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Sarkaria said, “I have been calling for a helmet exemption for turbaned Ontario Sikh motorcyclists for several years now. The wearing of the turban is an essential part of the Sikh faith and identity, and exemptions for Sikhs have been successfully implemented in other provinces in Canada and across the world.”
-PTC NEWS