Witness Testimony

Kimberly Snow testified that she held a director-level position overseeing workplace services at TJX Canada’s corporate head office and worked remotely during the pandemic. In late 2021, she observed that the U.S.-based headquarters in Boston implemented a vaccine mandate and that Canadian leadership soon followed. In December 2021, the company announced that corporate employees who did not comply with vaccination requirements by February 28, 2022 would be terminated. She testified that leadership conducted surveys to estimate vaccination compliance and potential severance liabilities prior to formal implementation.
Snow applied for a conscious belief exemption, stating that she had long-standing personal convictions and had previously obtained vaccine exemptions for her daughter during childhood schooling. She testified that the exemption process required her to disclose deeply personal beliefs and undergo questioning by colleagues in human resources. She described the experience as humiliating and stated that no exemption—whether medical, religious, or belief-based—was approved to her knowledge. Her request was denied, and she was terminated.
She further testified that the vaccine mandate applied only to corporate office and management-level employees, while more than 500 retail stores and large distribution centres across Canada were not subject to the same requirement except at management levels. She described this as illogical, particularly given that unvaccinated shoppers were permitted to enter stores. She confirmed she was not invited back or reinstated after the mandate ended.