BC Supreme Court Rules Provincial Health Officer Justified in Extending Vaccine Mandate for Health Workers

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled that the provincial health officer (PHO) was justified in extending the province’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health-care workers past October 2023. Bonnie Henry’s decision was challenged by 15 health-care workers who argued the mandate was too broad and infringed on their charter rights. The court document notes that about 1,800 healthcare workers lost their jobs for choosing not to take the vaccine. Around 35-40 workers were given medical exemptions. Judge Simon Corval said in the judicial review that he found Dr. Henry’s decision “reasonable.” “I find the PHO’s decisions about the risks of unvaccinated healthcare workers to be reasonable. The record provided ample support for the reasonableness of her conclusions,” Judge Corval wrote in the May 10 decision....