Toronto doctor ‘very concerned’ after being told he can’t enter local TD branch

Dr. Coleman Rotstein is a professor at the University of Toronto and an organ transplant specialist with its health network.

He said it started last week when his daughter made a trip to a TD bank located on Avenue Road in North York. When she entered the bank she was stopped by a security guard who asked her if she worked in health-care.

"Then she asked the guard, 'What if I was a health-care worker?' And the guard said, 'No, you cannot come into the bank.'"

A teller confirmed the news to Rotstein after he made a call to the branch. They advised him to do his banking over the phone or online.

Rotstein’s wife is also a doctor. She called the manager who said that all TD branches are following the policy.

"I don't think it's fair. It's a slap in the face," he said

A spokesman for TD noted that the bank is also asking customers if they’ve been out of the country in the past two weeks or if they’ve had any exposure to coronavirus.

TD’s statement said that asking customers about being health-care workers is not a part of the policy.

The bank says it is working to assist essential and health-care workers by making use of a closed branch “to serve calls exclusively from health-care workers.”

The bank also said it will be offering a priority phone service to the elderly.

When speaking about the Rotstein family’s experience, the spokesman for TD said they will "share this customer's feedback with our team."

Most other major banks are not taking the same precautions but are asking that customers do their banking over the phone or online when they can.

Professor Chris MacDonald is a teacher of ethics at Ryerson University. He says it’s hard for businesses to balance employee and customer safety.

He added that a business should be ready and able to give an explanation for their policy.

"First and foremost, it's important to have a thoughtful answer available," he said.

Sohail Gandhi, the president of the Ontario Medical Association said that businesses should be "coming together to make life easier for doctors."