'I thought it was a joke': Canada Post employee sent home for wearing N95 mask instead of company-provided cloth or disposable mask
A Winnipeg man who works for Canada Post as a mail carrier said he was sent home for the type of mask he was wearing, despite it being better than the company's masks.
Corey Gallagher said he went back to work on Monday after having some time off over the holidays.
When he showed up at work, he was wearing an N95 mask.
"Right away a supervisor came up to me and told me I can't wear that mask," said Gallagher.
"I didn't really understand, I thought it was a joke at first, like 'Why can't I wear this when the ones you are providing are cloth.'"
He said he wasn't going to change his mask and started to sort his mail for the day. During his sorting process, he had multiple supervisors approach him asking him if he needed a mask and then telling him he couldn't wear the one he had.
"I still didn't change my mask, went about my day, just kind of ignored it. Went out, delivered my mail, came back and then it was the same thing, only this time it was the head superintendent saying I can't."
The following day, Gallagher said he showed up wearing the same mask and was eventually told to leave after refusing to wear a company provided mask.
In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson for Canada Post said the company follows recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada, noting the agency supports people wearing non-medical masks that have at least two layers of woven fabric with a third middle layer of filter fabric or a disposable mask.
"The company fully supports these guidelines and therefore requires all employees to wear a Canada Post-supplied face covering, which is either a reusable cloth face covering or a disposable medical mask," the spokesperson said.
They added if an employee doesn't have a mask that Canada Post provides, there are additional masks on hand and if the employee still doesn't wear the company provided mask they are told to leave.
Gallagher feels this practice is behind what the government now recommends and that the policy should change.
"It's kind of disappointing that we are so far behind on the Canadian standards," said Gallagher, adding N95 masks aren't new and people across the country have been wearing them for quite some time.”
Gallagher, who said he was suspended without pay for the day he was sent home, said there are reasons why he wears an N95 mask compared to a cloth mask.
He said his wife is immunocompromised and he has a child who is not old enough to be vaccinated.
"This is personal. I'd like to keep my family safe if I can."
Gallagher has been told he can wear his mask outside of the Canada Post facility but he must wear the supplied mask in the facility.
In the meantime, Gallagher said he is going to be using his personal days and staying home until he is given a better reason for why he can't wear a more protective mask than what is being provided.
Jan Simpson, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), said in a statement the union is aware and concerned about the Crown corporation not allowing some workers to wear N95 masks. She said N95s offer more protection for workers, especially as the Omicron variant spreads.
“The Union has asked Canada Post to provide N95 masks or suitable alternatives to all postal workers, and at the very least, allow those who’ve purchased their own N95 or KN95 masks to wear them,” Simpson said. “As COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly, Canada Post Corporation should be doing everything in its power to protect postal workers, who continue to help people stay home and stay safe.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.