A York Region paramedic says she was looking forward to working in the field again after a six-year union leave, but she was abruptly fired last month over a Facebook comment criticizing Israel’s military actions in the Middle East.

“I was about to be back on an ambulance at the end of July,” Katherine Grzejszczak said Thursday in her first public comments about the case.

“I was actually really excited and looking forward to going back out, to being a paramedic.”

Instead, the veteran paramedic said she was fired on June 20 after she criticized Israel’s bombing of Gaza and several countries, and accused the country of starving Palestinian children and killing health-care workers in a comment on a union social media post.

The Regional Municipality of York said last month that officials launched an investigation into an employee’s “concerning comments on social media” on June 19, which led to a dismissal.

“I think it’s extremely unfortunate that we are here,” said Grzejszczak, who served on the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario’s executive board.

“It’s not a good time, it has been an extremely emotionally difficult time for me.”

Grzejszczak told reporters that the comment she made was in line with her “professional obligations” as a health worker.

“I love my job as a paramedic because it is first and foremost about preserving life and alleviating suffering,” she said, adding that calling for an end to “a genocide is not a threat to public safety, it is public safety.”

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“I really hope that I’m soon reinstated so that I can continue using my life saving skills to serve the residents of York Region,” she said at a news conference, surrounded by supporters and union members.

Her dismissal has triggered concern among free speech advocates and lawyers who say it was a violation of Grzejszczak’s Charter rights.

“Whether one agrees or disagrees with the content of her Facebook post, she was exercising her Charter-protected right to freedom of expression,” Daniel Paré, a senior fellow at the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, said at the press conference.

He called on York Region to reinstate Grzejszczak, who has been a paramedic since 2010.

“She is to be judged on whether she meets her professional standards of care, not her political beliefs,” Paré said. “And let’s be clear, there has been no suggestion that Katherine’s political beliefs have ever resulted in any inappropriate treatment of any patient.”

Reached for comment Thursday, a spokesperson for the Regional Municipality of York forwarded the statement originally issued in June about an employee’s “concerning comments.”

Patrick Casey also said “there is no change from York Region since the matter was initially addressed.”

Krista Laing, the chair of CUPE Ontario Municipal Workers, said the entire process of firing Grzejszczak took less than 48 hours, and alleged there was no proper investigation.

She said the decision sets a precedent that should worry workers across the province, and CUPE will continue to fight for her reinstatement.

The Centre for Free Expression says it has seen an increase in the number of people being penalized for expressing their political views since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

The latest war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said earlier this week that the war’s toll among Palestinians had surpassed 60,000. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas government, doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians in its count, but has said that more than half of the dead are women and children.

The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed the figures, saying it only targets militants and it blames civilian deaths on Hamas.

–With files from The Associated Press

&copy 2025 The Canadian Press

It’s not rare to see the lobby of Toronto City Hall bustling with brides and grooms attempting to shepherd family members up to the wedding chapel, but it is uncommon to see the same thing across Bay Street at Old City Hall where, for the first time in decades, the historic building is opening its doors to host civil weddings.

The city has been trying to find a permanent use for the civic building ever since provincial court services officially vacated the property in the spring. While the future of Old City Hall is being decided, the city has reopened the doors to the public this summer. Each Friday in August, visitors can wander the halls and listen to an audio tour. On select Thursdays, couples can even get married there.

“We’ve been looking for light-touch programming that we can bring in quickly and easily, and that included opening up weddings here again,” said Scott Barrett, the city’s director of key assets and property management. “Recently, we just had the first wedding held in this building in about 40 years, which was really exciting.”

The building can accommodate up to 12 civil weddings daily. Interest has been growing, prompting the city to add more dates throughout August and September.

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Samantha Pedwell and her partner, Ian Longo, learned that weddings were being performed in the historic building while picking up their marriage certificate. “We saw they were advertising in the office there, so we decided to just go for it,” said Pedwell.

The grand staircase may be the focal point for many wedding photos to come, but the actual ceremonies are taking place in the former city council chambers, which served as a courtroom when the municipality rented the building out in the late 1960s.

Sitting in the room with its high ceilings and ornate panelling, Barrett said the reception from couples has already been spectacular. “They come in and they’re just in awe of the space, and the scale of the space, and it makes for a really special occasion,” he said.

Barrett said the whole purpose of adding light activations in the building is not only to put it to use, but to take some of the mystery away for the public who pass by the structure. Ahead of their wedding ceremony, Pedwell and Longo admitted they had never set foot inside the 126-year-old building before.

“It’s super exciting,” said Longo. “It’s a great piece of Toronto history. We get to celebrate our love together in a really beautiful place. It’s a great day.”

There’s also the added benefit of the ceremony being cost-effective. The total price for a 30-minute ceremony is $337.95, including HST.

“A lot of people spend a ton of money on venues, but they don’t even get something like this,” said Pedwell. “So we’ll have a photographer come in, we’ll take some photos on the steps, and this is basically all you could ever want from a wedding.”

Both agreed the city should continue offering the service beyond the dates currently up for grabs, but Barrett said that will largely depend on demand.

“What we’re seeing now is a lot of interest,” Barrett said. “If that interest is maintained, then we’ll look at opportunities to add and grow over time, and I think it will remain a wonderful compliment to what’s already happening at city hall.”

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