Alessandro Di Nardo/ Staff reporter

On November 28, 2022, Rachel Doerrie  decided to share her feelings on a Twitter post, by writing “The past 2 months has been very hard for me. It has mentally and emotionally destroyed me. I feel broken. I am done hiding.”

Before getting deeper in the argument, Doerrie is a 26 years old woman, former member of the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff. She was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a serious heart condition called vasovagal syncope, and according to “Rachel Doerrie breaks her silence” written by Jonathan Larivee,  both in the same year 2018 .

In a short period of time her life has completely changed because of these issues; starting from the offer of a promotion of job as an analyst and assistant video coach with the staff, received from the Vancouver Canucks team.
According to “Former Vancouver Canucks coaching staffer files human rights complaint” written by Becca Clarkson, Doerrie accepted the position with the understanding that she would be provided a safe and healthy work environment, according to her complaint. In fact, in an interview with CTV News, she reported: “The working environment actually with the coaching staff was fantastic. They are really supportive, they are very open minded.”
In addition of the Twitter post, Doerrie had filed a 20-page document composed by a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal against the hockey team, over presumed discrimination. Both the post and the complaint has been published on November 28, two months after Doerrie has been fired on September 27, during which she kept all her emotions hidden.
In this document, Doerrie explained all the reasons why she believed that her firing was due to her mental and physical condition. She also stated that the promotion seemed to upset Emilie Castonguay, the team’s assistant general manager, who started acting very differently with her. According to a Doerrie’s Twitter post published on September 19, Castonguay told her that she wasn’t mentally prepared for the job; she also started ignoring her, spoke poorly about her social media behaviour and made discriminatory comments about her mental health.
On her behalf, Castonguay denied every accusation defining herself a good leader respecting her co-workers.    
With no side, in this argument is also involved the employment lawyer Lindsay Waddell, which claimed that the tribunal could award money for lost wages, in the event that everything is proven.
According to her words, Waddell said: “The tribunal can award what are called damages for injury to dignity, feelings, and self-respect. That is a lump sum designed to compensate the individual”.
At the same time, Vancouver Canucks replied to Doerrie’s complaint too. They denied and disagree with what Doerrie said, stating that she was provided with all the necessary resources and support to enjoy her job.
At this point of the case, the BC Human Rights Tribunal will analyze the complaint to see if it meets the tribunal’s criteria.
It’s illegal for workers to be discriminated against based on aspects such as age, race, and gender or any kind of mental or physical illness.  And as cited in the article “Former Vancouver Canucks staffer alleges discrimination”, written by Lia Moody, this event should lead to new training all staff, including management, on how to respond to instances of workplace harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate conduct.
  


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