By Michelle Gamage, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE TYEE
A former Northern Health employee says she was removed from her position for being critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.
On Wednesday Amy Blanding, former director of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility office at Northern Health, filed a lawsuit against B.C. health provider for being constructively terminated, defamation and breach of Charter Rights.
Constructively terminated, or constructive dismissal, is when an employer does not directly fire an employee but fails to comply with or changes a contract in a way that forces an employee to quit, according to the federal government.
“Northern Health had led Ms. Blanding to believe that, based on her excellent work, she would be appointed an executive director position in the IDEA field. It then suddenly dismissed her for articulating the very views expected of an IDEA professional: defence of human rights and support for peace,” the lawsuit reads in part.
Blanding was joined at the courts by her former supervisor, Vash Ebbadi-Cook, former executive director for workforce sustainability, quality and innovation at Northern Health, who quit in protest after Blanding’s termination. Ebbadi-Cook was there for support only they are not participating in the lawsuit.
Blanding and Ebbadi-Cook say Blanding was removed after a group in Prince George complained that Blanding’s personal pro-Palestinian stance impacted Jewish people’s and other minority groups’ ability to access the IDEA office.
Blanding and Ebbadi-Cook allege that Northern Health removed Blanding without validating the claims made against her.
Blanding is asking for financial compensation for severance and damages and for an apology letter Northern Health sent to the complainants after she was removed from the position to be retracted.
The Tyee was shown this letter, which apologizes to the complainants and members of the Jewish community who were made to feel unsafe, and says the complaints against Blanding were “investigated” and that it “made changes” to who ran the IDEA office so that it “does not expect that the same or similar issues will arise.”
The Tyee sent a list of Blanding and Ebbadi-Cook’s allegations to Northern Health to give the health authority an opportunity to respond, but Northern Health declined to comment, noting that “matters related to past and present employees of Northern Health are private and confidential, therefore we cannot comment on the circumstances.”
Blanding and Ebbadi-Cook’s allegations have not yet been tested in court.
