Hopefully everyone has been able to enjoy quality leisure time of rest and renewal with their families over the summer. School is starting and with it the intensifying hype for primary grade students and those in high school to submit to boosters and new vaccines. As well, each year the pressure increases for post secondary students at the college and university level to prove they are fully vaccinated or comply with vaccine mandates drummed up by various educational institutes.
VRAN receives more inquiries from post secondary students and healthcare workers seeking vaccine exemptions than any other aspect of the vaccines issue. While there are no “mandatory” vaccination laws in Canada, students must negotiate vaccine exemptions on a case by case basis using the few legal resources available to them to defend their Informed Consent rights. There are no clearly defined federal or provincial laws that prevent educational institutions from making arbitrary and unfair regulations about vaccination. Nor is there a specific law that protects a person's right to education or employment if they choose to reject vaccine demands made by an employer or educational institution.
We respond to each inquiry by providing students and healthcare workers with an outline of resources they can draw on when applying for vaccine exemptions, such as Canadian Charter guarantees, Canadian Medical Law and provincial healthcare Acts.
Watch for our new Healthcare Workers’ page soon to be posted on the VRAN website which will provide resources, links to studies and ethical parameters in defense of every person’s right to Informed Consent protections.
VRAN’s Annual General Meeting by teleconference is coming up in a few weeks on September 17. If you wish to volunteer your skills and are a Member in good standing you are invited to attend. For more details, please email Edda West at
info@vran.org.