Three U of W instructors launch lawsuit over COVID-19 vaccine mandate
A trio of instructors at the University of Winnipeg who were placed on unpaid leave due to their vaccination status are suing the school and the province over the COVID-19 vaccine policy they say is discriminatory and 'vilified' them as unvaccinated people.
A statement of claim filed in Manitoba's Court of Queen's Bench on Jan. 10, 2022, looks to take the University of Winnipeg (U of W), along with the province and Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, to court.
Manitoba Health and Seniors Care and the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration are also named as defendants in the case.
The claim said University of Winnipeg instructors Renise Mlodzinski, Evan Maltman and Kyle Du Val – the plaintiffs in the case – were placed on an involuntary unpaid leave of absence on Sept. 7, 2021, after the university put its vaccination policy in place.
The claim said the policy required anyone entering indoor campus spaces to be fully vaccinated, or declare they are fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination by Oct. 15, 2021, or be partially vaccinated and would be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination by Oct. 15, 2021.
The claim alleges these instructors did not receive notice of the policy until Oct. 4.
It said these instructors have "suffered vilification and extreme ill-will being directed at them as 'unvaccinated' people," and is calling on the court to declare the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy is "overboard, unreasonable and discriminatory."
It said these instructors have suffered damages, including severe and permanent psychological, physical and emotional trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
"The Defendants' actions were malicious, oppressive, high-handed and would offend the court's sense of decency," the claim reads.
The claim is seeking $1 million in charter damages and an order declaring the defendants violated the plaintiffs' rights, along with up to another $1 million in damages for "intentional infliction of mental distress, assault and battery."
In a written statement to CTV News, a U of W spokesperson said the university and collegiate are following public health directives which are based on the best scientific evidence.
"Our vaccine mandate is part of our plan to ensure a safe working and learning environment for faculty, staff and students," the spokesperson said in an email. "The lawsuit is misconceived and will be challenged accordingly."
A provincial spokesperson said the province is not able to comment as the claim is before the courts, but said the province, "takes the health and well-being of all Manitobans into account when it drafts public health orders and relies on all Manitobans to do what is right."
Leighton Grey, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the case, declined a request for comment from CTV News.
None of the allegations in the statement of claim have been proven in court. As of Monday, no statement of defence has been filed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Flash floods and cold lava flow hit Indonesia's Sumatra island. At least 37 people were killed
Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island triggered flash floods that killed at least 37 people and more than a dozen others were missing, officials said Sunday.
Swiss fans get ready to welcome Eurovision winner Nemo back home
Swiss Eurovision fans were getting ready Sunday to give a hero's welcome to singer Nemo, who won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with "The Code," an operatic pop-rap ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing a nongender identity.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.