Law Times - Newsmakers

4 December 2016 IN SEPTEMBER, prominent black lawyer Selwyn Piet- ers made a racial profiling complaint to Ontario's human rights tribunal when a security guard denied him entry to the Law Society of Upper Canada's headquarters. Pieters alleged a security guard discriminated against him when he was trying to enter the LSUC building in July. Pieters said he was walk- ing into Osgoode Hall to give his intern, Kevin Williams, a tour of the building on July 5 when a security guard approached them at the entrance. e Toronto lawyer, in good standing with the LSUC and a frequent attendee of events at the building, said there were a number of white members who entered immediately before and a er him with little scrutiny. " is is the fi rst time I've experienced such aggressiveness and such intolerance," Pieters told Law Times of his experience at the law society. "We were denied access to a door that anybody really can walk through. I'm troubled by how the security guard con- ducted himself that day." When the security guard approached them, Pieters identi- fi ed himself as a lawyer and presented his LSUC identifi cation card, which was expired. e security guard then grabbed the card out of his hand, Pieters said, and denied him access. "He saw someone that he determined couldn't possibly be a lawyer notwithstanding that person showed an ID card," Pieters said. Pieters then had to go across the hall to obtain a renewed membership card. He re-entered while another security guard was there and continued on the tour he had planned for Wil- liams. Pieters said he was subjected to diff erential treatment based on race. " is security guard's conduct in eff ect amounted to racial profi ling of a Black lawyer," Pieters wrote in a letter to the law society. Pieters said the security guard was rude and should have conducted himself more tactfully and diplomatically. "I was kind of taken aback in terms of if he is a regular, why is he being treated like that?" Williams said. "Security is usually tight, yes, but at the same time I think there is usually a level of courtesy and etiquette when you're dealing with something — especially if he's a member of the society and he's a lawyer." LSUC CEO Robert Lapper met with both Pieters and Williams separately a er the incident and assured them it would be investi- gated. Pieters said Lapper gave him assurances that bias training would be given to staff . In his meeting with Lapper, Pieters said the CEO told him he had watched the footage and that the security guard did not recog- nize him. Pieters said he has been coming to the building o en since 1998, when he worked as a registrar at the Divisional Court. "I don't blame the guard. It's not one bad apple. He refl ects the culture of the law society. at's how I feel," Pieters said. In an emailed statement to Law Times, spokeswoman Orli Giroux Namian said the law society has standard protocols for entry to the law society's premises that were followed. "While those protocols were followed on July 5, we regret that Mr. Pieters' experience in interacting with our security staff was not more positive," she said. She added that the law society has thorough anti- discrimination and anti-harassment training in place for all of its employees. On Aug. 22, Lapper sent a letter to Law Times in response to the article on the incident. In it he said: "We very much regret that Mr. Pieters was upset by his experience with the Law Society on July 5. However, I am satisfi ed that standard procedures were followed and there was no discrimination." Pieters also recommended the law society have a card system that allows lawyers to access the building by simply tapping their card to an entry system such as the ones that have been implemented at courthouses in Hamilton and Brampton. ese new card systems were installed a er Pieters suc- cessfully brought a claim against the Peel Law Association for a similar incident in 2008. Pieters is asking the human rights tribunal to order the LSUC to implement training focused on anti-black rac- ism for security guards, lawyers and others. He also wants $75,000 in damages. top newsmakers Black lawyer alleged racial profiling BY ALEX ROBINSON Selwyn Pieters took complaint to human rights tribunal Selwyn Pieters

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