A 60-year-old man from British Columbia made a nuisance of himself last Sunday, June 14, aboard WestJet flight WS706 en route from Vancouver to Toronto by refusing to wear his face mask in flight, despite admonishment from the flight crew. In defiance, he instead lit up a cigarette and declined to extinguish it, becoming so "unruly" that the plane was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Winnipeg.
Once on the ground, Balvir Singh was arrested by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). "They were advised this male had lit up a cigarette on board and was also not listening to any of the directions from the flight crew, which included to don his personal safety mask, as well," said Cpl. Julie Courchaine of the Manitoba RCMP.
Singh becomes the first Canadian to be charged under Transport Canada's new interim order, enacted on April 20, 2020, which requires every passenger to wear a non-medical-grade mask or face covering aboard their flight. Failure to do so carries a maximum penalty of C$5,000.
"In support of the directive, it is mandatory for guests to wear protective face coverings throughout their travel journey, including at the airport and while in flight," reads WestJet's statement to CTV News. "In addition, and per the directive, travelers are required to show that they have a suitable face-covering prior to boarding a WestJet flight."
Singh now faces three charges-one for public mischief and two more for violating Canadian Aviation Security regulations by smoking on board and refusing to comply with the flight crew's instructions-and combined total fines of up to C$13,000 (roughly US$9,550).
WestJet told Live and Let's Fly, "We sincerely apologized for the delay and interruption to our guests' travel plans who were affected by the diversion and unfortunate situation." After taking the opportunity to refuel in Winnipeg, the plane continued on its way to Toronto without further incident.
Singh's lawyer, Matt Gould, claims that his client's behavior can be attributed to a language barrier. "In terms of what an individual was told or how that was interpreted, and what was made from that, it's difficult to come to any useful conclusion at this time," he said. "Certainly, everyone's innocent until proven guilty."
While there are other charges involved in the case, Gould said that the incident spotlights the potentially serious consequences of a passenger's refusal to wear a mask, even beyond monetary penalties. He said, "If the issue with respect to wearing a face mask exacerbates the situation or grows into something that causes a real problem on a flight, that can result in criminal charges."
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