Witness Testimony

Babita Rana testified that she had worked at the University of Alberta for approximately 28 years and had performed her computer programming duties entirely remotely from March 2020 through September 2021. When the university introduced a COVID-19 vaccination directive in September 2021, she applied for a religious exemption in early October. Her request and subsequent appeal were denied, and she was placed on leave without pay. She stated that over 100 staff religious exemption applications were denied in a similar manner.
Rana further testified that although her role was fully remote and her entire team continued working from home, she was excluded from a formal work-from-home program because she was deemed non-compliant with the vaccination directive. She filed complaints through the university’s Office of Safe Disclosure and Human Rights, as well as through her union and the Alberta Human Rights Commission. She stated that internal complaints were closed without investigation and that both her grievance and human rights complaint remained unresolved for over a year.
She described experiencing significant stress, depression, and physical health issues as a result of the employment action and uncertainty. Rana testified that the process of having her religious beliefs evaluated and deemed insincere by her employer was deeply distressing and offensive. She reported ongoing health impacts and stated that recovery has been prolonged and uncertain.