Mississauga Sikh Man Ejected from Windsor Gym Over Kirpan as Heritage Museum Battles Water Damage
A Mississauga Sikh man's encounter at a Windsor gym — captured on video and now viral — has prompted a formal apology from GoodLife Fitness after staff ejected him over his ceremonial kirpan. In a separate blow to Mississauga's Sikh community, the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada on Drew Road has suffered severe water damage from a fire and flooding, leaving irreplaceable artifacts soaked and the building in need of a full rebuild. Both incidents reflect the ongoing challenges and resilience of the Sikh community in and around Mississauga.
Mississauga Sikh Man Ejected from Windsor GoodLife Over Kirpan
A Windsor, Ontario GoodLife Fitness location is apologizing after staff asked a Sikh man from Mississauga to leave over his ceremonial kirpan. The incident was captured on video and has since gone viral online. Gurpartap Singh Sangha, who is from Mississauga, was at the GoodLife Fitness Dougall Club in Windsor when a staff member approached him with concerns. A GoodLife employee told Sangha: You have a weapon on your person. A member has brought it to my attention and for the safety of me and everybody else in the gym, I am asking you to leave. Sangha, who wears the kirpan as part of his Sikh faith, pushed back against the ejection on camera. You are kicking me out of the gym right now because you are scared that I am going to take my religious symbol and kill somebody, he stated in the footage. Sangha alleges he was racially profiled during the encounter. The video quickly spread on social media after the incident at the Windsor club. GoodLife Fitness has since issued an apology over the matter. [1]
Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada Hit by Severe Water Damage
The Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada in Mississauga has suffered severe water damage following a fire, and staff are now working to salvage artifacts from its collection. The small fire broke out in a unit above the museum gallery on February 26. While firefighters contained the fire, the museum — located on Drew Road near Airport Road and Derry Road East — was flooded when the sprinkler system above activated. Executive director Pardeep Singh Nagra said books, artifacts, furniture, and other resources were damaged in the flooding. Some items were soaked beyond repair, including artifacts dating back to the 1800s. Nagra said the museum structure itself will need to be gutted and entirely rebuilt. Very sad, very devastating. But we say, we are hurt but we are not broken, Nagra said on Tuesday. The museum tells the story of the Sikh community in Canada. The institution faces extensive repairs and restoration before it can reopen. Staff are working to assess and salvage what remains of the collection following the combined damage from the fire and sprinkler flooding. [2]