Witness Testimony

Chet Chisholm, a paramedic from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, testified regarding the impact of pandemic restrictions on his mental health treatment and professional career. He described being on leave for PTSD when lockdowns interrupted planned in-person EMDR therapy, which he stated delayed his recovery and ultimately contributed to the loss of his position due to contractual time limits. He testified that after receiving one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, he experienced persistent fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, and repeated emergency room visits, though no definitive diagnosis was made. He stated that no adverse event report was discussed despite the temporal proximity between vaccination and symptoms. Chisholm also described the personal and professional impact of vaccine passport policies and ongoing healthcare mandates, including restrictions on access to services and inability to return to work, and expressed concern about significant paramedic workforce losses within Nova Scotia’s EMS system.