Quote:
Originally Posted by lifer
when I was younger and they gave the Sikhs a special exemption to the bike helmet law in B.C., I got pretty upset about it. I was one of these guys "they live in this country, they should live by this country's laws".
I've since changed my opinion, and it is more in line with some mentioned above. If they don't want to wear a helmet for religious or cultural reasons, that's fine. I just don't want to be paying for any damage they do to themselves, others, or property. If they try to sue for damages or anything after they've had an accident, it should be thrown out and they should pay the court costs.
I guess my point is this, if it doesn't negatively effect me personally, I couldn't care less what anybody wears on their head on bumper cars, or a bike.
That said, I think it should be an individual decision for the businesses whether or not they want to permit a Sikh or anybody else on the track without a helmet. The fact that this guy was awarded financial damages for this incident seems ######ed to me. If a company's policy says you must wear a helmet for safety reasons, it is not discrimination to hold everybody up to the same rules and standards. In fact, I would say it is the opposite of discrimination.
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Actually he wasn't awarded anything. He came to a settlement with the park behind closed doors. My guess is the park just didn't want to deal with it anymore. Chances are they may not have to.
Although they are trying to change the laws...
As part of the settlement, Paramount Canada's Wonderland agreed to request an exemption to the helmet requirement for Sikhs from the Ministry of Government Services and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Both parties are in the process of reviewing the request, said Tom Ayres, a lawyer with the organization.
However later down it talks about insurance...
Peter Primdahl, underwriting director at K&K Insurance Group in Mississauga, said he would be very reluctant to insure an amusement ride business if they allowed some patrons to ride without helmets -- even if the helmet law is amended.
If they can't get insurance for the ride, chances are they will stick with helmets being mandatory, or just get rid of the ride all together.