'She was exercising her Charter-protected right to freedom of expression – a right that York Region as a municipality has an obligation to respect and uphold'
Editor's note: This story was updated July 4 with comments from York Region below.
A group of legal and human rights scholars is calling on Ontario’s York Region to reinstate a paramedic who was fired over a Facebook post expressing her views on Israel.
Katherine Grzejszczak, a paramedic of 15 years with York Region Paramedic Services, was terminated after the municipality received a complaint about her post, according to James L. Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Turk, along with 13 other thought leaders, raised the issue in an open letter addressed to Eric Jolliffe, chair and CEO of the Regional Municipality of York; Jeremy Watts, acting chief of York Region Paramedic Services; and other municipal officials.
“York Region received a complaint about a recent Facebook comment by Ms. Grzejszczak, in which she expressed her strong opposition to Israel’s war in the Middle East, the starvation of children in Gaza, and the killing of journalists, municipal and health care workers, and fellow first responders,” they wrote.
“Whether one agrees or disagrees with the content of Ms. Grzejszczak’s Facebook comment, she was exercising her Charter-protected right to freedom of expression – a right that York Region as a municipality has an obligation to respect and uphold."
In a separate statement, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) shared a screenshot of the Facebook post, available here:
The “legal reality” is that employees and directors can be disciplined, terminated, or removed for making political posts—especially when those posts cause reputational harm to their employer or organization, violate workplace policies, or create a conflict with an employer’s values, according to a previous report.
“Paramedics play a vital role in our health care system and are to be judged on whether they meet professional standards of care, not on their political beliefs," said the group letter. "Given there has been no suggestion that Ms. Grzejszczak’s political beliefs have resulted in any inappropriate treatment of any patient, your decision to fire her was entirely unwarranted and a violation of her rights and your Charter obligations.”
The group also noted that Grzejszczak’s comment “was not altogether different from that expressed by former Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, in an op-ed in Haaretz on May 27, 2025, titled ‘Enough Is Enough. Israel Is Committing War Crimes’.”
In that piece, Olmert wrote: “The government of Israel is currently waging a war without purpose, without goals or clear planning and with no chances of success. Never since its establishment has the State of Israel waged such a war. The criminal gang headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has set a precedent without equal in Israel's history.”
The group is urging York Region leaders to reinstate Grzejszczak in her previous role.
In an earlier statement, CUPE “unanimously condemned” the termination.
“As outraged as we are about Katherine’s unjust termination, this dangerous situation has broader impacts. No employer should be able to silence any worker for challenging injustice,” said CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn.
“This is about the Charter right of workers, as persons of conscience, to speak out against genocide and war. Katherine’s comment on Facebook aligns completely with CUPE Ontario’s longstanding, democratically decided anti-war principles.”
York Region became aware of an employee allegedly posting concerning comments on social media on June 19, according to Patrick Casey, director of corporate communications.
"York Region promptly investigated the matter," he said in an email. "Maintaining public safety and confidence is of utmost importance to York Region."
As a result, the employee is no longer employed with the Regional Municipality of York, he said, which "remains committed to fostering welcoming and inclusive communities, as affirmed by the Inclusion Charter for York Region."
The municipality is committed to a welcoming and inclusive community, said Casey, "where diversity is celebrated and where everyone can develop to their full potential."
Previously, Estee Lauder fired veteran executive John Demsey just days after placing him on leave over a social media post that included a racial slur and a reference to COVID-19.
Previously, media reports claim that several journalists were allegedly sacked from their posts after supposedly expressing support for Palestine in the midst of the violence in the Middle East.
