Witness Testimony

Tami Clarke testified that she was employed as a coordinator for transcripts and international programs within the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. She stated that her work involved a small internal team and no direct public interaction. Following her spouse Kirk Desrosiers’ hospitalization for bilateral pulmonary emboli after vaccination, she was required under provincial mandate to be vaccinated to retain her employment. She testified that she did not seek a formal exemption, believing such requests were routinely denied, and described the choice as either vaccination or unemployment.
Clarke received her first Pfizer dose on November 24, 2021 (lot FF5109) and her second dose on January 18, 2022 (same lot number), administered by a pharmacist at an Independent Grocer in Hubbards, Nova Scotia. She disclosed her Graves’ disease diagnosis at the time of vaccination but testified that no individualized risk assessment was conducted beyond standard screening. She reported no physical side effects but described significant anxiety and psychological trauma associated with being vaccinated shortly after her spouse’s diagnosis.
She testified that her husband experienced a 120-day period without income between unemployment benefits and disability coverage, creating financial hardship that required the family to make significant lifestyle adjustments. Clarke stated that she later obtained employment closer to home with an employer who allowed accommodation when her spouse’s health required her presence. She described a loss of trust in public institutions and feelings of coercion related to the mandate.