Justice for Alberta Post Secondary Students Affected by Mandates

The mandatory vaccine mandates imposed on students and staff, and wider members of the communities of Alberta’s post secondary institutions (PSIs) have been unlawful, damaging, divisive and ineffective. We demand that the post secondary institutions across Alberta implement the following actions now and moving forward for future terms:

1. That PSIs continue to allow free choice in an individual's medical decisions and do not discriminate based on personal medical information. Education should be considered as an equal opportunity for all.
2. That mandatory vaccinations are not forced upon students in order to participate in education, practicum, or placement. Not all organizations or workplaces have a mandatory vaccination policy in place. This should not be mandated by PSIs.
3. In cases where staff and students were discriminated against because of their vaccination status, or lack thereof, PSIs must start enforcing their bullying and discrimination policies or human rights policies to protect those students and staff. For institutions that do not have these policies, that a policy or policies would be drafted fulfilling these requirements.
4. That PSIs recognize and address religious freedom and uphold religious beliefs to the point of undue hardship. All PSIs should support and respect the religious beliefs of an individual.

For students that have experienced harm and discrimination from the implementation of the mandatory vaccination policies, we request the following:
1. A formal apology for the harm caused by these discriminatory mandates and policies.
a. The apology should address the mental, emotional, and financial harm and stress that the implementation of these policies inflicted on students that were deregistered or left without options for the Winter 2022 semester.
b. For those that had to undergo vaccination against their will, with continuing their education as the only reason to choose vaccination.
2. For flexible measures to be put in place to continue education that was disrupted due to deregistration or an inability to comply to the discriminatory vaccination policies. Accomodations for missed classes, assignments or courses can be reasonably met due to the online nature of the Winter 2022 semester. Financial reparations or compensations should also be considered for students that have lost scholarships, funding and/or bursaries due to not being allowed to attend or register for the Winter 2022 semester.