Marshall Law is proud to represent Bradley Singh, who was the target of overt and ongoing discrimination, bullying and harassment by his supervisors and colleagues. Loblaws did nothing to adequately address the various threats that Bradley’s colleagues made to his life and safety in retaliation for reporting their abusive behaviour.
While there are many examples of the abusive behaviour Bradley was subjected to, we have outlined the details of a few of the incidents which we find to be particularly egregious below:
One of Bradley’s colleagues asked him what food he got for lunch and Bradley responded that he had Indian food. The colleague then said to someone else “you heard that, Rose? Smelly.” to which that person responded, “turn on the fan!”
One day after Diwali, Bradley was confronted by the two colleagues mentioned above who shouted, “Oh, Bradley, why did you mess up the sky last night? You polluted the air. You were lighting up too many fireworks”;
Bradley’s manager regularly mocked ethnic-sounding names in a derogatory and offensive tone, calling individuals who work at the Loblaw’s head office “Ling-a-lang” and “Vinta-paka-taka-teek-a-teek”;
After Bradley returned from visiting Guyana, his family’s home country, one of Bradley’s co-workers, asked him where he went on holiday. Bradley’s manager responded before Bradley could and stated, “he went to the hood”;
Days after a team lunch wherein Bradley put extra pepper on his food, a colleague brought this up at the office and his manager inappropriately said “I’d be singing Indian songs on the toilet” if he did that;
Bradley’s manager once asked Bradley to go by his desk so he could “rip off” Bradley’s nose piercing. Bradley’s manager and his two colleagues then discussed their distaste for nose piercings with one of them explicitly stating that “it’s more of a prejudice thing. Back in the day, you would only see a lot of East Indians with them”; and during a conversation about retirement, someone said, “why don’t you go back to the country where you’re from” to Bradley.
After reporting his concerns to HR, Bradley experienced retaliation. When speaking about Bradley, his manager stated, “he probably already got HR involved” and one of his colleagues responded, “he needs something worse than cement shoes”. Bradley’s manager repeatedly told Bradley that he would get “cement shoes” fitted for him and once commented that they would “make chopped liver out of Bradley”. Bradley’s manager and colleague made various violent comments about beating up Bradley, chopping him up and hanging him on a beef hook in the rafters by his collarbone.
What Bradley experienced is horrific and wrong, and we look forward to getting justice for him.
The article below was originally published by Juno News: https://www.junonews.com/p/loblaws-denies-racial-discrimination
Loblaws denies racial discrimination lawsuit by former employee
Former employee alleges years of racial harassment and threats while grocery giant says multiple investigations found no evidence of discrimination.
A former Loblaws employee has launched a lawsuit alleging he endured years of racial harassment, workplace bullying, and violent threats before being constructively dismissed — allegations the grocery giant categorically denies after conducting internal investigations.
Bradley Dhaniram Singh filed a Statement of Claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice alleging that during his employment, he was targeted because of his Indian and Caribbean heritage and that Loblaws failed to protect him despite repeated complaints.
Loblaws has now filed a Statement of Defence denying the allegations.
“We take matters of harassment and discrimination very seriously,” the company said in a statement to Juno News.
“As you will see, after our investigation, Loblaws found no evidence to substantiate the Plaintiff’s complaint that he was treated in a discriminatory manner based on any human rights prohibited grounds of discrimination, including based on race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, and place of origin.”
According to Singh’s lawsuit, coworkers referred to his Indian lunch as “smelly,” joked that Diwali fireworks had “polluted the air,” mocked ethnic names, ridiculed his Caribbean background, and told him to “go back to the country where you’re from.”
The claim also alleges one manager remarked he would be “singing Indian songs on the toilet” after eating spicy food, while another coworker suggested nose piercings were associated with “East Indians.”
The lawsuit alleges the workplace became increasingly hostile after Singh reported the conduct to Human Resources.
Among the allegations are repeated references to giving him “cement shoes,” comments that they would “make chopped liver out of Bradley,” discussions about hanging him from a beef hook and other violent remarks.
Singh alleges the threats became so serious that he and his family installed a home security system because they feared for their safety.
In its defence, Loblaws says it immediately investigated Singh’s complaints in late 2023, interviewing Singh, the employees he complained about, and witnesses he identified.
While investigators concluded there was “no evidence” of discrimination based on protected grounds, the company acknowledges some coworkers made comments that were “rude or condescending.” It says those employees received additional training on Loblaws’ Violence, Harassment, and Discrimination Policy and were reminded of workplace expectations.
Loblaws says it conducted two additional investigations after Singh raised further concerns in 2024. The Statement of Defence says the company allowed him to work remotely and offered him a transfer to another position, which he later accepted. Loblaws maintains it “took appropriate steps to provide reasonable accommodations and a safe work environment” and denies Singh was constructively dismissed.
Singh’s lawyers reject that characterization.
“What our client experienced was not an isolated event, but part of an ongoing pattern of discrimination and retaliation that Loblaws allowed to persist,” lawyers Michelle Farinaccia and Kathryn Marshall of Marshall Law told Juno News.
“Despite repeatedly reporting the abusive conduct, our client was harassed, subjected to egregious threats, and left without protection by his employer. Loblaws had every opportunity to intervene and ensure his safety yet continuously failed to act and instead protected those responsible for the abuse. Loblaws talks a good public game about values, but behaves very differently behind closed doors.”
The lawsuit seeks damages for constructive dismissal, lost wages and benefits, $100,000 for alleged Human Rights Code violations, $75,000 in moral damages and $150,000 in punitive and aggravated damages.
The allegations have not been tested in court. Loblaws has denied the material allegations in the claim, and the matter will now proceed through the civil litigation process unless it is resolved beforehand.