CALGARY — GoodLife Fitness has apologized after a Sikh man accused an employee at its Windsor, Ontario, location of racism after he was asked to leave the gym while carrying a kirpan.The company said the interaction did not reflect how its policies were intended to be applied and confirmed it had reached out directly to the individual involved."At GoodLife, we are committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for everyone," Tracey Matthews, the Senior Vice President of GoodLife Fitness said in a statement. "The interaction shown in the video reflects a situation where our established practices were not applied as intended."GoodLife added that it complies with all applicable Canadian human rights legislation and said it had contacted the individual following the incident.The response comes after Gurpartap Singh Khalsa, a fitness influencer known online as @dreambodygurp, posted a video Thursday showing an interaction with a GoodLife employee at the Windsor Douglas location..In the video, Khalsa records the employee telling him she feels uncomfortable and is scared because he is carrying what she described as a knife inside the facility."I don't feel comfortable," the employee says in the video. "I'm scared."Khalsa responds by explaining that the item is a kirpan, a ceremonial blade carried by some baptized Sikhs as an article of faith. He accuses the employee of discriminating against him because of his religion and repeatedly alleges that he was targeted.Khalsa captioned the video, writing: "I was targeted. This girl said she is scared because I am carrying a knife (kirpan) and asked me to leave, but she let me in knowing I had it on. This is GoodLife Windsor Douglas. @GoodLife Fitness — unacceptable behaviour."Kelly Musovic, Senior Director of Experience and Safety at GoodLife, responded by apologizing and offered to refund his guest pass fee. After receiving a response from Musovic, Khalsa posted a video Sunday thanking the fitness company for apologizing. ."Thank you so much GoodLife Canada for making a formal apology to me, not just to me, but to all the Sikh's that carry a kirpan," Khalsa said in the video. "The employee just didn't have the proper education when it comes to the kirpan, so it's our job as Sikh's to continue to raise more awareness and to give the proper education."GoodLife Fitness also addressed rumours circulating online that the employee involved had been fired, telling the Toronto Sun Monday that those claims were false.“No one has been, nor will be, terminated as a result of the interaction in our Windsor club,” Matthews said. “Information to the contrary is false. We continue to support our employees and the entire GoodLife community.” “The Ontario government is responsible for drafting and passing human rights laws for the province, which businesses like GoodLife are required to follow,” “The Ontario Human Rights Commission provides guidance regarding the interpretation and application of Human Rights laws in Ontario, including topics like this.”Under GoodLife's "Respect, Caring, and Belonging" section, the company states that the "health and safety of its associates and members is its primary focus" and says it is committed to providing a safe environment in its clubs. The company also says, "behaviour that creates an unsafe or hostile environment is not tolerated."GoodLife’s published member standards also state that the health and safety of its associates and members is a primary focus and that the company is committed to providing a safe environment in its clubs.
