Latest news with #Charter-protected
Global News
01-08-2025
- Health
- Global News
Ontario paramedic fired for criticizing Israel on social media hopes to be reinstated
A York Region paramedic says she was looking forward to working in the field again after a six-year union leave, but she was abruptly fired last month over a Facebook comment criticizing Israel's military actions in the Middle East. 'I was about to be back on an ambulance at the end of July,' Katherine Grzejszczak said Thursday in her first public comments about the case. 'I was actually really excited and looking forward to going back out, to being a paramedic.' Instead, the veteran paramedic said she was fired on June 20 after she criticized Israel's bombing of Gaza and several countries, and accused the country of starving Palestinian children and killing health-care workers in a comment on a union social media post. The Regional Municipality of York said last month that officials launched an investigation into an employee's 'concerning comments on social media' on June 19, which led to a dismissal. Story continues below advertisement 'I think it's extremely unfortunate that we are here,' said Grzejszczak, who served on the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario's executive board. 'It's not a good time, it has been an extremely emotionally difficult time for me.' Grzejszczak told reporters that the comment she made was in line with her 'professional obligations' as a health worker. 'I love my job as a paramedic because it is first and foremost about preserving life and alleviating suffering,' she said, adding that calling for an end to 'a genocide is not a threat to public safety, it is public safety.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I really hope that I'm soon reinstated so that I can continue using my life saving skills to serve the residents of York Region,' she said at a news conference, surrounded by supporters and union members. Her dismissal has triggered concern among free speech advocates and lawyers who say it was a violation of Grzejszczak's Charter rights. 'Whether one agrees or disagrees with the content of her Facebook post, she was exercising her Charter-protected right to freedom of expression,' Daniel Paré, a senior fellow at the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, said at the press conference. He called on York Region to reinstate Grzejszczak, who has been a paramedic since 2010. Story continues below advertisement 'She is to be judged on whether she meets her professional standards of care, not her political beliefs,' Paré said. 'And let's be clear, there has been no suggestion that Katherine's political beliefs have ever resulted in any inappropriate treatment of any patient.' Reached for comment Thursday, a spokesperson for the Regional Municipality of York forwarded the statement originally issued in June about an employee's 'concerning comments.' Patrick Casey also said 'there is no change from York Region since the matter was initially addressed.' Krista Laing, the chair of CUPE Ontario Municipal Workers, said the entire process of firing Grzejszczak took less than 48 hours, and alleged there was no proper investigation. She said the decision sets a precedent that should worry workers across the province, and CUPE will continue to fight for her reinstatement. The Centre for Free Expression says it has seen an increase in the number of people being penalized for expressing their political views since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The latest war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages. Gaza's Health Ministry said earlier this week that the war's toll among Palestinians had surpassed 60,000. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas government, doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians in its count, but has said that more than half of the dead are women and children. Story continues below advertisement The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed the figures, saying it only targets militants and it blames civilian deaths on Hamas. –With files from The Associated Press
Hamilton Spectator
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Ontario paramedic fired for criticizing Israel on social media hopes to be reinstated
A York Region paramedic who says she was fired over a Facebook comment that criticized Israel's military actions in the Middle East says she is hoping to be reinstated soon. Katherine Grzejszczak says she loves her job and the comment she made was in line with her 'professional obligations' as a paramedic to call for an end to human suffering and for preservation of life. The veteran paramedic was fired on June 20 after writing a comment that criticized Israel's bombing of Gaza and several countries, and accused the country of starving Palestinian children and killing health-care workers. Her dismissal triggered concern among free speech advocates and lawyers who say it was a violation of Grzejszczak's Charter-protected right to freedom of expression. Grzejszczak, who was also a member of Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario's executive board, says she is going through a difficult time as she waits for the outcome of a grievance the union filed on her behalf. A spokesperson for the Regional Municipality of York says nothing has changed 'since the matter was initially addressed' with the employee. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ontario paramedic fired for criticizing Israel on social media hopes to be reinstated
A York Region paramedic who says she was fired over a Facebook comment that criticized Israel's military actions in the Middle East says she is hoping to be reinstated soon. Katherine Grzejszczak says she loves her job and the comment she made was in line with her 'professional obligations' as a paramedic to call for an end to human suffering and for preservation of life. The veteran paramedic was fired on June 20 after writing a comment that criticized Israel's bombing of Gaza and several countries, and accused the country of starving Palestinian children and killing health-care workers. Her dismissal triggered concern among free speech advocates and lawyers who say it was a violation of Grzejszczak's Charter-protected right to freedom of expression. Grzejszczak, who was also a member of Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario's executive board, says she is going through a difficult time as she waits for the outcome of a grievance the union filed on her behalf. A spokesperson for the Regional Municipality of York says nothing has changed 'since the matter was initially addressed' with the employee. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025.
National Observer
09-07-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Ontario court halts Ford's plan to tear out Toronto bike lanes
Protected bike lanes in Toronto must remain in place for now, an Ontario judge said on Tuesday. The Ford government had appealed a previous ruling that ordered the bike lanes to remain, but failed. A superior court judge said the bike lanes can't be removed until an ongoing Charter challenge is resolved. The challenge, brought by Cycle Toronto and two individual applicants, targets the Ford government's anti-bike lane legislation, Bill 212 — the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act — and argues that removing the lanes violates Charter rights to life and security of the person, and puts cyclists' lives at risk. The bill grants the Ford government unilateral authority to remove municipal bike lanes. One of the provisions requires the provincial transportation minister to remove bike lanes on the three major Toronto streets. The government claims the change will alleviate traffic congestion and improve emergency response times, but no evidence has been provided to support this; meanwhile, opponents introduced government reports into evidence that suggested the bike lane removals could cause a rise in collisions without even saving any commuting time. In April, an Ontario superior court judge granted a temporary injunction to prevent the government from removing the bike lanes while the case is being considered. In May, the Ford government sought leave to appeal the injunction. But in Tuesday's decision, the court rejected the request and upheld the injunction. Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, told Canada's National Observer that the court's decision to reject the Ford government's appeal is a strong signal the case is being taken seriously. 'We're obviously very pleased about this decision,' Longfield said. 'With this legal decision, I think it's a good opportunity for the province to sort of abandon this bad faith culture war and instead collaborate with municipalities on real, data-driven solutions to give people more transportation options.' A superior court judge said the bike lanes can't be removed until an ongoing Charter challenge is resolved. Dakota Brasier, director of media relations for Ontario's transportation minister, said the government will continue with the design work needed to begin removing bike lanes and get some of the province's 'busiest roads moving as soon as possible.' 'While we respect the court's decision, our government was elected with a clear mandate to get people out of traffic by restoring driving lanes,' Brasier said. Bronwyn Roe, a lawyer at Ecojustice representing the applicants, welcomed the court's decision and said the evidence clearly shows that removing heavily used, protected bike lanes on major Toronto routes would put cyclists' lives at risk. 'The government cannot be allowed to jeopardize the safety of Ontarians or violate the Charter-protected rights to life and security of the person,' Roe said in a statement. Looking ahead, Longfield stressed the importance of a full court victory, saying it could help set a precedent for how cycling infrastructure is protected in the future. At the same time, he believed there was still time for the province to reconsider whether the legislation was truly in the public interest. The City of Toronto estimates the cost to taxpayers for removing the bike lanes could reach $48 million, with the city having already invested $27 million in their construction. Restoring vehicle lanes will likely offer minimal improvements in travel time and undermine the public health, environmental and economic benefits of active transportation, the report warns. Bike Share Toronto has experienced impressive growth, with memberships doubling from 18,000 in 2020 to more than 35,000 in 2023, the report notes. Total trips by bike share surged from 2.9 million in 2020 to 5.7 million in 2023.
Vancouver Sun
04-06-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. federal inmate's proposed class-action over COVID lockdowns certified by judge
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed against the federal government for confining prison inmates in their cells for 20 hours a day during the COVID-19 pandemic has been certified by a B.C. Supreme Court judge. Representative plaintiff Dean Christopher Roberts alleges medical isolation in the country's prisons beginning in March 2020 meant a large number of prisoners were subjected to 'inhumane rights restrictions,' a form of lockdown that amounted to solitary confinement, according to the judgment. The prisoners were 'confined to their cells for up to 22 hours a day and denied any meaningful human interaction for an extended period of time,' wrote Justice Michael Tammen. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The lawsuit would include anyone imprisoned in a Correctional Services of Canada prison during a declared COVID-19 outbreak at the institution after March 11, 2020, it said. To be eligible, they will have had to have been confined to their cells for 20 or more hours a day and deprived of the opportunity to interact with others for less than two hours a day for 15 or more consecutive days, it said. The lawsuit alleges negligence and breaches of Charter-protected rights guaranteed by sections 7 and 12 of the Charter, which protect life, liberty and security of person, and ban cruel and unusual punishment. Other court decisions have recognized solitary confinement causes harm, that administrative segregation is a form of solitary confinement, that solitary confinement is the practice of confining an prisoner in a cell for 22 hours a day and failing to provide daily meaningful contact with other people, the judge said, citing the plaintiffs' arguments. The plaintiff cited a number of cases from Ontario and B.C. in 2020 and 2021 that relied on similar allegations of negligence and Charter breaches. The federal attorney general opposed certification, arguing administrative segregation for medical reasons is 'something entirely different' from solitary confinement, because it's 'both medically necessary and informed by medical advice,' according to Tammen's decision. Administrative segregation allows prisons to isolate an prisoner to ensure the safety of staff, visitors and inmates and to maintain security of the prisons and it is not a punishment or sanction, according to the Correctional Service website. It also said the proposed lawsuit is overly broad and lacks clarity, and Roberts is not a suitable representative plaintiff. But Tammen ruled the lawsuit could proceed. He said the federal government raised several points that could cause the lawsuit to fail at trial, including its argument that medical isolation is different from other forms of separate confinement. He said a trial judge may decide the prisons' response to the 'unprecedented and unexpected' pandemic and the type of isolation it implemented was medically necessary, and the lawsuit would fail. But he said that has to be decided at trial, 'not at this preliminary stage.' At the beginning of the COVID outbreak, Roberts was imprisoned at the Mission Institution, a medium-security prison. From April 2 to 7, 2020, the prison was in a lockdown and inmates were confined to cells around the clock. When Roberts returned from Mission hospital on April 11, 2020, where he was treated for five days for COVID, he said inmates were only let out of their cells for 20 minutes a day to shower, to use the phone and to have their cells cleaned, according to the decision. And even though Mission prison was declared COVID free by mid-May 2020, significant restrictions with limited time allowed out of cells continued until mid-July 2020, it said. Tammen said there is a 'considerable body of evidence about periods of medical isolation for non-symptomatic inmates at various institutions' over three years, with many saying they were confined to their cell for up to 23 hours a day with no meaningful social interaction and limited time for showering or phone calls. The federal government does not dispute this but said the prolonged periods of isolation were medically mandated. It said punitive damages aren't warranted but the judge said the notice of claim includes details that could support punitive damages because courts have condemned the practice of subjecting inmates to prolonged periods of separate confinement. None of the allegations have been proven in court. The inmates' first lawsuit was filed in 2020 and was amended several times until it was moved to the certification phase in October 2024. Roberts was sentenced to a life imprisonment after being convicted by a jury in 1995 for the 1994 strangling of his wife and one twin 14-month-old son, the smothering of the other twin, and for attempting to kill his adopted three-year-old, who was left asleep in the burning house before being rescued and surviving. He always maintained his innocence, claiming he was the victim of the then-new controversial RCMP investigative undercover sting technique called Mr. Big. In 2021, he was granted the right to ask for ministerial review of his case to seek updated DNA testing he said was needed to prove his innocence.
