Witness Testimony

Kyrianna Reimer testified that while enrolled as a third-year nursing student in 2021, her program adopted Alberta Health Services (AHS) vaccine requirements for clinical placements. She stated that she initially considered vaccination but ultimately declined due to ethical concerns about coercion and the accelerated timeline of vaccine development. She wrote a course assignment advocating for patient consent and ethical standards, received a low grade, and reported being told that nurses should align with government directives. After issuing notices of liability to faculty regarding enforcement of mandates, she received a letter alleging misconduct and was removed from clinical placements, resulting in a one-year academic delay.
During clinical rotations, she described observing practices she perceived as inconsistent, including isolation procedures following COVID testing and reduction of hospital bed capacity while public messaging stated facilities were full. She reported feeling unable to openly express her views among peers and described negative comments by other students about alternative treatments. When later attempting to return to the program, she experienced significant anxiety and chose not to continue at that time.
Ms. Reimer also testified about her experience returning from volunteer work in Costa Rica in 2021, when she was required to retest for COVID-19 and quarantine in a federally designated hotel. After refusing the hotel stay, she received approximately $7,000 in fines and was scheduled for trial. She completed a 14-day quarantine in Alberta, received ArriveCAN compliance notices, and reported a visit from the RCMP after the quarantine period had ended. She described the overall experience as distressing and contributing to ongoing mistrust of healthcare institutions and government policies.