At least 2 Manitobans face professional consequences after attending anti-mask rally in Winnipeg
'When you're out there, you're brandishing something about the employer,' says head of HR firm
At least two Manitobans who attended an anti-mask rally at The Forks in Winnipeg Sunday are facing consequences professionally.
Several hundred anti-maskers gathered near the CN Stage at national historic site on Sunday afternoon — violating the outdoor public gathering limit of 10 people — as part of a convoy travelling through Canada to protest public health orders.
Among the crowd was Steven Gall, now the former president and board member of the Manitoba Chiropractors Association. He was asked to resign from his post Monday morning and submitted a resignation letter to the board of directors, according to the association.
The association, which governs chiropractors in the province, "does not condone or tolerate behaviour" that contravenes public health orders, acting president Gerald Chartier said in a statement sent to CBC News.
Gall runs Linden Ridge Family Chiropractic in southwest Winnipeg. He did not return calls from CBC News asking for comment.
Meanwhile, a bus driver in the Lord Selkirk School Division was suspended with pay for attending Sunday's rally. The bus driver confirmed the disciplinary action but declined an interview with CBC News.
The school division would not comment "as this is an internal school division matter," a spokesperson said.
Barbara Bowes, president of the human resources consulting firm Legacy Bowes Group, says a failure to consider the potential repercussions of attending such rallies is "really quite foolish."
"There's a lot of talk about personal rights and [the employee's] ability to speak their own private opinion, etc.," Bowes said in a Tuesday interview with CBC Radio's Up To Speed.
"But as soon as you get into the public audience, then you also have to worry about how your attendance, or your voice, or your placards harm your employer's business interests."
There has been a shift in the HR world over the past several years that has seen employers take more of an interest in employees' off-hours activities. That's because something like attending an anti-mask rally, or making nasty comments on social media, can reflect poorly on a business, said Bowes.
"When you're out there, you're brandishing something about the employer, and employers are not going to put up with it," she said.
People have the right to their own beliefs, she says, but have to think twice before putting them out into the public sphere.
In a case like this, the employer may consider attending the rally to be misconduct on their employee's part, as it likely goes against the organization's values, she said.
Bowes notes that misconduct does not necessarily result in termination, though it can lead to that.
The bus driver's suspension, for example, may give the Lord Selkirk School Division time to investigate the circumstances around his attendance and his actions there, she said.
"It may still end up with termination, but you still need to go through a progressive discipline process," she said.
COVID-19 enforcement at rally
Sunday's rally included speakers who spewed misinformation and rhetoric that encouraged attendees to defy public health rules. Rally-goers had also planned to march through The Forks Marketplace without masks, resulting in Forks officials locking the doors and closing businesses for the day.
Enforcement officers were at the rally but only issued two tickets to people Sunday for failing to self-isolate and gathering in a group larger than what is allowed.
The province has faced criticism for enforcement efforts at the rally, with some saying it should have been prevented from happening at all.
But more fines are expected to be levied, Manitoba Justice Minister Cameron Friesen said Tuesday, according to a Canadian Press report.
Even though enforcement officers did not stop the event, they were collecting video footage and other evidence while keeping a low profile, said Friesen.
"It was the determination of those individuals who were acting for the province at the time that they would do so without attracting attention to themselves," he said.
"It's up to the officers who are at those events to decide how to proceed in a manner that keeps everyone safe."
Enforcement officers issued 56 tickets and 92 warnings to Manitobans flouting public health rules last week. The fines totalled $55,610.
A new public health order comes into effect starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, which retains the province's 10-person limit on outdoor gatherings. No visitors will be allowed at private residences at all under the new rules, which will be in effect for four weeks.
Individuals breaking public health rules can be fined $1,296, while businesses can be fined $5,000.
Manitobans found not wearing a mask indoors can be ticketed $296.
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With files from Holly Caruk, Faith Fundal and The Canadian Press