Alberta medical professionals, lawyers and a post-secondary student say AHS lifting its COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy is a step in the right direction, but for many the fight isn't over. .The letter sent to Alberta Health Services (AHS) workers on Monday advised all staff the mandatory vaccination policy was being rescinded as of July 18. ."This applies to all AHS, Covenant Health, Carewest, CapitalCare, and Alberta Precision Laboratories employees, members of the medical and midwifery staff, students and instructors, volunteers, and applicable contracted service providers," said AHS in the letter. .AHS confirmed all new hires and students will not be required to be immunized for COVID-19 upon hire or placement and added, based on current evidence, "...immunization without boosters have limited effectiveness in reducing transmission of the Omicron variants." .The letter expressed gratitude to "all healthcare workers who are fully immunized" and said AHS continues to "strongly recommend healthcare workers receive COVID-19 immunization and any boosters available to them to reduce the severity of infection." ."Booster doses enhance the effectiveness of initial doses and help protect against waning immunity," said AHS. ."I find it interesting that they are only 'grateful' to all the healthcare workers who are fully immunized," said one Alberta medical specialist, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal from AHS. ."What about those of us who have been working tirelessly on the front lines and have been fighting against their discriminatory mandates?".The specialist said while their fully-vaccinated co-workers were getting sick with COVID-19 in droves, the unvaccinated staff were being asked to come back from being put on leave without pay to fill the gaps. ."It's been my experience the fully vaccinated have been getting COVID repeatedly and so I don't see where vaccination served any purpose," said the specialist. ."In addition, if they are now admitting the vaccines are no longer effective — then why are they pushing vaccines on kids six months and upwards?" ."They say you don't get as sick with being vaccinated, but where is their scientific proof that very same person who is vaccinated wouldn't have been as sick? They can't prove anything." .The specialist, pointing to a recent story reporting an increase in deaths with unknown causes, said they believe AHS is "trying to cover up vaccine injuries." ."They say the unknown deaths are not from the vaccines, but how can they prove that when it's unknown? Clearly ridiculous." .The specialist said a formal apology from AHS for all the trauma caused to healthcare workers who refused the vaccines is due. .Dr. Gregory Chan, a central Alberta family doctor who was included in legal action against the mandatory vaccination policy with other doctors, said he has mixed feelings on the decision by AHS. .READ MORE: Four Alberta doctors file lawsuit against AHS and Yiu over forced vaccination.Chan said although he is thankful the mandate has ended, he is "disturbed and saddened" the medical establishments he's associated with, such as the Canadian Medical Association, have "set aside the Hippocratic Oath" and "ejected informed consent and patient autonomy" when pressured to conform. .Chan said he believes medical authorities have "openly encouraged medical coercion" and have "warped and twisted" medical ethics. .He said he's concerned with how much influence has been given to third parties, such as pharmaceutical companies, governments and colleges overseeing the medical industry and said the cancelling of any medical personnel that question the "preapproved medical mantras" is disturbing. ."Mob mentality rules medicine. Critical thinking is optional at best, discouraged at worst," said Chan..He said, as a faith-based man, he is also thankful for the experience as it has strengthened his faith journey and his trust in God. ."I have matured as a follower of Jesus," he said. .Several Alberta lawyers representing thousands of workers and students fighting the mandatory vaccine policies — including Calgary civil liberties lawyer James Kitchen — were slammed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic."After AHS has so long ideologically ignored the 'science' regarding COVID and the COVID vaccines, it is stunning to see AHS rescind its COVID vaccine requirement for students and new hires," Kitchen told the Western Standard. .Kitchen said he believes the decision by AHS to lift its mandates was based on politics. ."Foreseeing the ruling UCP will soon have a new leader that is clear-headed about COVID — unlike Jason Kenney — AHS has likely engaged in damage control in preparation for when the new UCP leader comes looking for who's responsible for oppressing and discriminating against so many Albertans ," he said.."Regardless of the motivation, however, it's good to see one less unlawful government mandate. I'm also glad for what this means for my student clients who have bravely resisted the coercion and can now complete their degree programs.".One of those students — an LPN in training at Prairie College who trains through Calgary's Bow Valley College — said due to her choice not to take the COVID-19 vaccine, she has been "discriminated against for 10 months." ."Bow Valley basically denied me my right to go into my clinical," Cara Schoenroth told the Western Standard. "In around April they basically said, 'Get it, or you won't be able to finish your program.'" .Schoenroth said the college told her the decision was out of their hands and there was nothing they could do to help her. She even lined up her own clinical placement with a homecare nurse in Drayton Valley, which should have started this week, but did not hear back from the college when she inquired about its approval of the option. .Although AHS announced the decision to lift its vaccine requirements for all staff and students, Schoenroth said she's not heard from anyone at Bow Valley to advise her of the update or work to quickly get her placement in order to stay on track to graduate with her class in 2023. .Kitchen supported several students who were denied exemptions to the vaccine mandates. .READ MORE: WATCH: Calgary lawyer, medical students discuss COVID vaccine loophole many are trapped in.He has also represented hundreds of workers in legal challenges against company vaccine policies requiring the jabs as a condition of employment, including CNRL staff. .READ MORE: CNRL staff demand end to mandatory vaccination.Calgary constitutional lawyer Carol Crosson, with Crosson Constitutional Law in Aidrie, said she watched many, including healthcare workers, patients and students, experience the "negative consequences" of the mandates. .Crosson represented hundreds of students across Alberta whose vaccine exemption requests were denied and sent legal letters to several post-secondary institutions. .“I write on behalf of post-secondary students across the province of Alberta who have alerted our firm that some post-secondary institutions are denying exemption requests to vaccine and testing policies when these requests are in fact rooted in the protected human rights grounds of disability and religious belief. Refusing these objections is not permitted under law,” said Crosson’s letter..READ MORE: U of C student raises safety and privacy concerns over mandatory vaccination."In our view, many authorities, including AHS, wholly neglected the Charter in the development and imposition of vaccine mandate policies because the Charter does not allow the infringement of the right to life, liberty and security in an arbitrary, disproportionate and overbroad fashion," Crosson told the Western Standard. ."This is a step, albeit too late in the game, to respect the Charter.".Constitutional lawyer Leighton Grey with Grey Wowk Spencer LLP said in his opinion, the decision by AHS is "too little, too late." ."Although we could applaud AHS for finally recognizing the scientific reality made obvious by the Pfizer dump, i.e. that vaccination does nothing to prevent infection or transmission of COVID-19, this cannot undo the massive harms caused by the Verna Yiu regime," said Grey. ."Quite apart from needlessly rendering hundreds of essential health workers unemployable, we can never forget the time, energy, and resources deployed to weaponizing the pandemic to convert AHS into a health crimes investigation and enforcement organization.".Grey called Monday's announcement "one of political convenience" and said he believes AHS "still exerts considerable pressure" over healthcare workers with regard to outdated policies..He pointed to the tragic story about an Alberta woman who is being denied a life-saving organ transplant for choosing to remain unvaccinated for COVID-19. Sheila Annette Lewis will die without the transplant, but has been removed from the waitlist due to her vaccination status. .Grey said Lewis and many other Albertans are suffering "because they refuse to take an experimental drug that is known to be life altering and life threatening." .Grey said AHS should be offering to compensate unvaccinated workers forced off the job without pay over what he called "its oppressive and discriminatory" vaccine policy. .Grey has taken on several cases representing hundreds, if not thousands, of Canadians nationwide fighting the mandates including workers with WestJet and ATCO. .READ MORE: UPDATED: 112 WestJet employees suing airline, Government of Canada over vax mandates.READ MORE: Dozens file lawsuit against ATCO for forced vax policy
