By JONATHAN BRADLEY.A group of 16 Ryerson University students initiated a lawsuit against the school for removing them from in-person classes because they did not comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. .“The students hope the lawsuit and the injunction will set a precedent for not only Ryerson students but all other university and college students in Ontario, Canada, who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 vaccine mandates,” said Ryerson Action Channel leader Curtis Heinen in a statement posted to FundRazr in April. .Ryerson announced it would be suspending its vaccine mandate May 1. .“While this decision has been made based on the current information and advice, as we have seen throughout the pandemic, things can change very quickly,” said Ryerson in a March press release..“Members of the university community should be aware it may become necessary to quickly reintroduce these and other measures and requirements in the future.”.The statement said the vaccine mandate led to up to 3,600 students being removed from in-person classes. It said have lost campus jobs, scholarships, and peace of mind. .The students are raising money to cover their legal fees. So far, they have raised $9,737 out of their $50,000 goal. .Zayouna Law Firm lawyer Ryan O’Connor is representing the students. .“I am pleased to represent these courageous students, who in this lawsuit seek to hold their university accountable for its breaches of the Human Rights Code and their medical privacy in the implementation of this mandate,” said O’Connor in a statement emailed to the Western Standard on Thursday. .O’Connor said his clients are concerned about the vaccine mandate coming back in the fall semester. He added people should be outraged students are being denied an education and delayed from entering the workforce. .The students produced a video where some of them spoke about why they chose to be unvaccinated. These students are in programs such as urban and regional planning, philosophy, and business management. .They said they chose to be unvaccinated because of medical or religious reasons. Despite seeking exemptions, they said Ryerson denied their requests. .Ryerson announced in August it would require students to be fully vaccinated, but unvaccinated people could have regular testing done if they wanted to come to campus. A few weeks later, the university said that it would remove the testing option in October. .Students had to declare their vaccination status by November. Ryerson began removing unvaccinated students from in-person classes in December. .Other Ontario universities have faced lawsuits from unvaccinated students. .The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms filed a lawsuit against McMaster University on behalf of four students who were removed from class because they opted not to take the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the press release, the students refused to be vaccinated because they are devout Catholics or Orthodox Christians. .The University of Toronto said it would revoke its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on May 1, after a human rights complaint was filed against the school. While the vaccine mandate would be repealed, U of T said they would not hesitate in reinstating it if need be. .Ryerson officials could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
