IndigenousA human rights complaint in B.C. has been settled between TD Bank and a Muslim-Indigenous man who said a Surrey branch teller denied him service and called the police on him when he tried to open a bank account.Sharif Mohammed Bhamji, a member of Heiltsuk Nation, says he hopes his case will serve as an exampleEdzi’u Loverin · CBC News · Posted: Nov 17, 2025 10:08 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Sharif Mohammed Bhamji with his daughter outside a Surrey, B.C., branch of TD Bank. (Heiltsuk Nation via The Canadian Press)A human rights complaint in B.C. has been settled between TD Bank and a Muslim-Indigenous man who said a bank teller denied him service and called the police on him while he was trying to open a bank account.Sharif Mohammed Bhamji, a member of the Heiltsuk Nation, said he hopes his case serves as example to others who have experienced similar injustices and encourages them to speak out.“I’ve always looked at my identity as something to be proud of, and I just wanted others to be able to be proud… instead of dealing with it in situations like this racial profiling,” said Bhamji.“I just knew that it wasn’t right.”As part of the settlement, Bhamji and TD executives participated in a traditional washing ceremony Sunday in a Heiltsuk big house, a sacred gathering space for governance and ceremony, in Bella Bella, B.C.The monetary values of the settlement have not been made public, according to the Heiltsuk Nation, which joined Bhamji in the filing of the 2022 Canadian Human Rights Commission complaint. But the nation said in a news release that the settlement included general damages, funds for its Urban Heiltsuk Support Team in Vancouver and funding to cover the costs of the washing ceremony. It said the bank has improved its training and process around the use of Indian status cards “to the satisfaction of all involved.” In May 2021, Bhamji went into a TD branch near his Surrey home to verify his identity after completing the online portion of the banking application.When he presented his status card, the teller, seemingly perplexed by his Muslim last name, told him it was fake, Bhamji said on Sunday.Bhamji’s mother is from the Heiltsuk Nation and his father is Muslim from India.”I ended up leaving frustrated,” Bhamji said.He thought that was the end of it, saying it is not unusual for him to experience racial profiling. But he was surprised when police showed up at his house, inquiring about the situation and asking about his name and status.”They realized nothing was fraudulent and no charges were laid, but that situation led us to where we are today,” he said of the human rights complaint.’A recognition of our house of law’TD spokesperson Mick Ramos said in an emailed statement that the bank is striving “to do better and have since taken steps to learn from” the situation and ensure “it doesn’t happen again.””We recognize that unconscious bias can lead to discrimination and wholeheartedly apologize to Mr. Bhamji for his experience,” Ramos said in the statement. “We also extend this apology to Mr. Bhamji’s family, the Heiltsuk Nation and its community members.”Heiltsuk Tribal Council Elected Chief Marilyn Slett said the bank’s participation in the washing ceremony gives everyone an opportunity to move forward.Sharif Mohammed Bhamji in Heiltsuk big house in Bella Bella, B.C., on Sunday. As part of a human rights settlement, TD executives and Bhamji participated in a traditional washing ceremony. (Heiltsuk Nation)“It symbolically washes the the incident from you so you’re able to heal,” said Slett.Slett said addressing the incident in this way supports better policy and practice in how the bank works with Indigenous clients.“It’s a recognition of our house of law; it’s a recognition of our our cultural practice,” said Slett. “This is what reconciliation can look like.”It’s the second human rights complaint brought forward by a member of Heiltsuk Nation against a bank for discrimination.Maxwell Johnson, then 56, was detained in Vancouver in 2019 while trying to open his 12-year-old granddaughter’s first bank account with the Bank of Montreal.“They ended up in handcuffs outside for about 45 minutes,” said Slett.WATCH | Maxwell Johnson addresses BMO officials:Maxwell Johnson addresses BMO representatives in Bella Bella, B.C.Maxwell Johnson, 56, speaks to a delegation from the Bank of Montreal during a washing ceremony in the Heiltsuk community of Bella Bella.Bank executives participated in a washing ceremony in Bella Bella after the incident, but the arresting officers from Vancouver Police Department did not attend.Slett said the arresting officers backed out of a scheduled washing ceremony, “preventing healing and closure from the incident.”The Vancouver Police Department has not responded to a request for comment.Bhamji said he is proud to be a catalyst for more support to community members through the settlement funds to the Urban Heiltsuk Support Team.“It’s something to be proud of,” said Bhamji. “I was able to have at least my hand in something that’s moving forward positively.”With files from Wawmeesh Hamilton and Canadian Press
TD Bank settles human rights complaint by Muslim-Indigenous man
