A disciplinary panel has suspended a British Columbia nurse for one month and ordered her to pay over $93,000 in costs related to her public statements about women's rights and single sex spaces.
British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives announced the penalties against Amy Hamm this week.
The college stated she must pay $93,639.80 for legal costs, and her one month suspension starts whenever she returns to nursing.
Hamm worked in healthcare for more than 13 years. She had been promoted to a nurse educator role.
The case comes partly from a 2020 Vancouver billboard.
Hamm co-sponsored the billboard, which read, "I ♥ JK Rowling."
This referenced author J.K. Rowling's views supporting women's rights.
Rowling has argued for female only spaces like washrooms, crisis centres, sporting events, and prisons.
After activists and a Vancouver city councillor complained, the billboard was taken down.
Two formal complaints were then filed with the college.
These accused Hamm of transphobia and hate speech.
The college launched an investigation.
It produced a 332 page report examining Hamm's public statements between 2018 and 2021.
This included her tweets, articles, and podcast appearances.
The college's inquiry committee argued Hamm made discriminatory and derogatory comments about transgender people while identifying herself as a nurse.
Hearings lasted for 22 days, spread over a year and a half.
In the end, the disciplinary panel ruled that four of Hamm's statements amounted to unprofessional conduct.
Hamm has already appealed the finding of unprofessional conduct to the BC Supreme Court.
Her lawyer Lisa Bildy said, "In our view, the panel made a number of legal and factual errors that make the decision unsound."
Bildy added they are considering appealing the penalty decision too.
"This decision effectively penalizes a nurse for expressing mainstream views aligned with science and common sense," said Bildy.
"The Panel’s ruling imposes a chilling effect on free expression for all regulated professionals."
Hamm said, "The college has chosen to punish me for statements that are not hateful, but truthful. I’m appealing because biological reality matters, and so does freedom of expression."
Hamm thanked thousands of Canadians donating to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is supporting her legal case.