Lawsuits for unvaccinated public servants in B.C. will continue after province rescinds mandate in April

Despite its critically understaffed healthcare system, B.C. is one of only two provinces left in Canada still implementing illogical COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.

Lawsuits for unvaccinated public servants in B.C. will continue after province rescinds mandate in April
Remove Ads

16 months. That’s how long the province of British Columbia has kept in place their vaccine mandate that forbids government employees who did not get injected with two or more COVID-19 shots from working.

Come April 3 however, the B.C. government, without apology, has announced that they will end the discriminatory vaccine policy “based on the high level of vaccination among public-service employees and the current state of the pandemic.”

While the overdue announcement comes as good news to many government workers who were laid off and terminated for not complying, rescinding the vaccine mandate is leaving many workers with more questions than answers including those who are pursuing legal action to defend their right to bodily autonomy.

A group of approximately 600 public servants called the BC Public Service for Freedom Society are being represented by Victoria-based Sheikh Law firm. The firm is representing the group for various legal actions including wrongful dismissal cases, an application with the B.C. Labour Relations Board against the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) for failure to represent, and a constitutional challenge of the Public Service Mandate.

“Some of the questions our members want to know are, how this will affect their seniority, whether they will be in the same position, same pay grid, whether they will receive back-pay, and things of that nature,” Margarida Cardoso told Rebel News.

Cardoso had been working for the B.C. government in the legal field for 25 years and held the position of paralegal with the Public Guardian and Trustee's office, before being laid off due to B.C’s mandate in November 2021. She was subsequently terminated seven months later.

While Cardoso is thankful that her immediate family was able to cope despite her termination, she says the mandates “caused incredible emotional and psychological harm” and that their members are aware of “five individuals, some of which didn't belong to our group, that had taken their lives because of the financial strain and burden of being placed on leave without pay or terminated.”

Attorney Umar Sheikh, who is taking the lead on the cases for the group of unionized and non-union public servants, says that the lasting damage caused by the mandate coupled with the delay in rescinding it requires rectification.

“The government knew early on in the mandate process that their decision was ineffectual at stopping the spread of COVID-19 and despite this, they continued to cause harm to hundreds of employees, many of which chose to leave the public service or have been terminated and bankrupted by the government’s decisions,” Sheikh told Rebel News.

Sheikh believes that the impact of the province's mandate translated “into a critically reduced workforce and in turn a degradation of the public service” and that in response “the government dropped the mandates to try and rebuild critical service delivery.”

“How did 'science' change? Those who were impacted must be offered their jobs back with back pay and full restitution for the damages they have incurred,” Sheikh concluded in his statement.

In an email sent out to public servants by the BCGEU, the union said they are aware that many of their members will have questions “regarding the impact” of the province’s decision “not just with regard to members who have been terminated” like Cardoso, but also those who were “placed on unpaid leave” and those who “followed instruction and remained working.”

Despite its critically understaffed healthcare system, B.C. is one of only two provinces left in Canada still implementing illogical COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers. This means that vaccine-free medical professionals and public servants who work in many healthcare settings are still unable to serve British Colombians.

If you appreciate that Rebel News brings you the other side of the story on current affairs including about life with COVID-19, consider making a donation here to cover the costs of our independent journalism.

Remove Ads
Remove Ads

Don't Get Censored

Big Tech is censoring us. Sign up so we can always stay in touch.

Remove Ads