Métis woman pursues legal action against daycare after child’s hair cut without consent

By Nigel Maxwell

A Saskatoon woman is pursuing legal action against her son’s daycare provider, alleging the operator committed assault when she cut the young child’s hair without permission.

The incident happened last Saturday in Saskatoon. Jana Nyland told paNOW she had left her 19-month-old son with the daycare in the afternoon, and when she returned later to pick him up discovered the blond curly hair that once covered his neck had been cut without her permission or even a phone call.

“And when I asked her the reason why she cut his hair, she told me she didn’t like long hair on boys and that native children shouldn’t have long hair,’” she said.

Nyland said she immediately took her son and informed the daycare provider she would be talking to the police.

Nyland’s son has been in the care of the daycare for a year, and it had been highly recommended through an online service. She noted there had not been any incidents until recently, but added the operator had seemingly become obsessive about her son, asking to keep him later in the evening and to have him over for sleepovers.

“She would call and ask to talk to him. She was just overstepping boundaries completely,” she said, adding she had also learned in the past few days the operator was encouraging the child to call her mom.

The Saskatoon Police Service confirmed to paNOW it has engaged its Hate Crimes Unit to investigate a recent report filed against a child care service provider in Saskatoon. The report remains under investigation.

To raise funds required for the estimated $5,000 in legal fees, Nyland has created a GoFundMe account which as of Thursday had raised just over $300. Nyland has also contacted the ministries of Education and Social Services.

“My family is of Métis ancestry. Our hair is a symbol of our strength, heritage and family culture. She took that away from him,” Nyland wrote on the page.

Nyland added she will also be doing her best to pay out of her pocket, but explained she is a single mother, and lawyer fees are costly.

paNOW was provided with a written statement from Irum Bajwa, owner and operator of Bajwa’s Childcare. She acknowledged she did cut the boy’s hair without his mom’s permission but explained she did not know this was his first cut.

“(The) first haircut is very important for everyone please cut your child’s hair immediately after birth and put in safe closet for whole life until he/she died. It will save you from evil eyes, ghosts, witches, enemies, and any other invisible creatures,” she wrote.