A recent grievance representing 260 Alberta health care workers has gone through binding arbitration to determine compensation eligibility for those impacted by their employer’s vaccine requirements.

While 1650 Alberta Health Services employees were sent home on unpaid leave, some were forced to work from home and others were allowed to continue to work onsite but were forced to pay for their own rapid testing. In this decision, 95 of the 260 employees were determined to be eligible for compensation payments of $5000 each, with another ‘few dozen’ being reimbursed for receipts for rapid tests. Those who were forced to work from home will be “made whole,” according to the ruling. Payouts for these individuals are expected to vary widely and have yet to be determined.

Many more payouts are expected. This decision impacts those that fall under the Health Sciences Association of Alberta banner only, while those from the United Nurses of Alberta and Alberta Union of Provincial Employees are still in negotiations with compensation decisions expected to be forthcoming.

Lorain Hardcastle, professor with the University of Calgary’s law faculty, believes these decisions should differentiate between those few who couldn’t get the vaccine for ‘legitimate’ health reasons and those who chose not to ‘under the guise’ of personal freedom.

Frankly, making a choice under the ‘guise’ of personal freedom speaks of those who wished to preserve their own health over the mandates of their employer – a wholly legitimate decision that should be respected as much as any other. Especially in hindsight, given the now undeniably deplorable effectiveness of these vaccines and subsequent vaccine – related injuries flooding our population.

While it is surely good news to see those impacted by the vaccine mandates compensated for their horrendous treatment, $5000 does not come close to addressing the losses experienced by most.

We support all Canadians in their fight for fair treatment and compensation and look forward to many more precedence-setting decisions on this and other matters still before our courts.

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