Toronto will have the first court in Canada which will have a formal policy for the kirpan, a ceremonial dagger worn by observant Sikhs. Other courts in Canada may allow the kirpan, including the Supreme Court of Canada, but do not yet have formal procedures in place.
The arrangement came about through cooperation between The World Sikh Organization of Canada, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Toronto Police, the Toronto Police Services Board and the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Curtis Rush of the Toronto Star explains [1],
The policy was developed as a settlement of two separate human rights cases.
The first one involved a Sikh who was to attend a mandatory class trip to the victim/witness assistance program at the Old City Hall courthouse. That student was denied entry because she would not remove her kirpan.
The second instance involved a Sikh man who was summoned for jury duty at the University Ave. courthouse and was allowed to enter with his kirpan in the morning, but denied re-entry after the lunch break.