A local government in the Southern Interior of B.C. has dropped its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for volunteer firefighters, says a legal advocacy organization. In a press release on Oct. 27, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announced that the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) ended its COVID-19 vaccination policy for volunteer firefighters in September.
The ending of the mandate means Craig Nygard, who volunteers at the district’s fire department, is able to work without the requirement of pre-shift testing for COVID-19, the Justice Centre noted. “It was a win to have Mr. Nygard reinstated in his position, both personally for Mr. Nygard, and also for the community served by CSRD,” Justice Centre lawyer Charlene Le Beau, who represented the volunteer firefighter, said in a statement.
“It was an even bigger win to see that CSRD has dropped the mandate altogether.” Le Beau had sent a legal warning letter to CSRD’s Protective Services in April, demanding Nygard be accommodated in his request for a religious exemption from the district’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy, after he was suspended for not taking the shots.