Protests leave health-care workers feeling betrayed, undervalued

After working flat-out for more than 18 months of the pandemic, staffers at Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington are feeling disheartened, betrayed and undervalued in the face of anti-vaccination protests outside their building, says a hospital executive. 

About 300 protesters gathered near the downtown Burlington facility Sept. 1, shouting anti-vaccine messages and profanities. As the hospital prepares for another protest expected in the coming days, executive vice-president Leslie Motz says she wants the wider public to know just how bad things have gotten, and how much it's affecting workers.

"This just feels like a final betrayal after 18 months of really hard work trying to save lives," Motz, who is also the hospital's chief nursing executive, told CBC Hamilton. "This has been a really long 18 months. You can appreciate being in healthcare and resilience starting to run low." 

Protests at hospitals against vaccination mandates have escalated throughout the country over the federal election period. The federal Liberals and NDP have since promised to criminalize blocking access to hospitals. Provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath has proposed a bill creating safety zones around hospitals and other establishments that have seen aggressive protests. She plans to introduce it once the Ontario legislature reconvenes.

Motz took her hospital name tag off in order to observe the protest outside of Joseph Brant Hospital — saying she felt too intimidated to leave it on — and says she saw repeated yelling and profanity directed at any passersby that weren't in support of the group. She says protesters' messages included those against mandatory vaccines, lockdowns and masking, as well as misinformation about the safety of vaccination. 

While most passersby did not react directly to the protesters, she said what she saw inside the hospital that day, including people crying and workers huddled together for support, shook her "to the core.

"I saw some flashes of anger... as well," she added. "Some of our staff were angry they'd be put in the position of having to hear and see that, and angry our patients had to be part of that."