September is usually a time to get back to our regular work routines, whether it’s kids starting their school classes or adults returning to their jobs after enjoying summer holidays.

However, for thousands of public healthcare workers across British Columbia who stood up for medical privacy rights, bodily autonomy, and voluntary and informed consent for medical treatments, many will not be going back to their jobs anytime soon.

With an upcoming provincial election on the horizon, BC Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Bonnie Henry finally declared an end to the official “state of emergency” including removing the Covid-19 injection mandates that were forced onto public healthcare workers over 2 years ago.

Unfortunately, thousands of highly qualified and experienced doctors and nurses have already been permanently removed from the BC healthcare system due to the injection mandates, choosing instead to take early retirement, work in the private sector, move out of BC, or even change careers rather than subject themselves to the Covid-19 experimental injections.

For thousands of others who are now eligible to reapply for jobs in hospitals and other public healthcare facilities within BC, nurses and lab technicians share some of the reasons why they and many of their colleagues will not be doing so, including

• the government’s ongoing infringement and breach of medical privacy rights
• no compensation or restitution for damages
• further restrictions on working conditions with no job security due to the continued threat of future mandates

In the meantime, the number of legal actions against the BC government continues to grow, including another class action lawsuit on behalf of public healthcare workers seeking compensation for damages, similar to a case that was recently ruled by arbitration in Ontario.

As hospitals around the province are experiencing an increasing frequency of closures and the entire healthcare system faces ongoing critical staff shortages, we need to keep asking questions while demanding answers, transparency, and accountability – for the health of all British Columbians.