Canada's first turbaned Sikh police officer appointed chair of WorkSafeBC's board of directors

Baltej Singh Dhillon, a veteran Canadian Sikh police officer who was a part of the team that probed the 1985 Kanishka Air India terror attack, has become the first South Asian chair of an agency that promotes safe and healthy workplaces in British Columbia province.

Dhillon, the country's first Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer to wear a turban as part of the uniform, was appointed to chair the WorkSafeBC's board of directors for a three-year term, effective June 30, the British Columbia government has announced.

WorkSafeBC is a provincial agency promoting safe and healthy workplaces across British Columbia, a province of Canada, and Dhillon has been a member of its board of directors since 2017.

A recipient of Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals for community service, the veteran officer ''made history by being the first RCMP member to wear a turban as part of the uniform,'' an official release said on Friday.

Dhillon had a distinguished career as a police officer for more than three decades, working in intelligence, special enforcement, protective services, and critical investigations, including the 1985 Kanishka Air India bombing task force.

On June 23, 1985, a bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 en route from Toronto to London and then to its final destination Bombay, England killing all 329 people aboard, most of them Canadians. To this day, the Air India bombing is still the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history blamed on pro-Khalistan elements.

''Baltej was a veteran police officer who brings expertise in law enforcement and six years of experience as a director at WorkSafeBC. He will be committed to WorkSafeBC's role in investigating serious workplace incidents to prevent similar incidents from happening again,'' said Harry Bains, Minister of Labour.

Dhillon takes over the role from Jeff Parr, who served as Board chair from August 2020 to June 2023.

''We look forward to working with him in this new role, alongside our Board members and our stakeholders, to help achieve our vision of a province free from workplace injury or illness,'' Anne Naser, president and CEO of WorkSafeBC, said in a statement.

''I look forward to taking on the role as chair of WorkSafeBC's board of directors,'' Dhillon was quoted as saying in the press release.

''I am committed to working with our key stakeholders to improve workplace health and safety and help ensure that workers get home safely at the end of the day. I am excited to begin working as chair with my fellow board members and WorkSafeBC staff to continue making progress in improving the workers' compensation system to meet the needs of workers, employers and others throughout the province,'' he said.

According to WorkSafeBC's website, the agency serves more than 2.6 million workers and close to 270,000 registered employers in BC and partners with workers and employers to save lives and prevent work-related injury, disease, and disability.

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