Paramedic no longer working for York Region following offensive tweets

'Following the completion of an internal investigation, the individual is no longer employed by The Regional Municipality of York,' states York Region Paramedic Services

Newmarkettoday.ca
Feb. 16, 2021
Alan S Hale

The paramedic at the centre of a controversy about her posts on social media is no longer working for York Region Paramedic Services.

The paramedic, who posted on Twitter under the name Agatha Vanek, had been under investigation by her employers after some Twitter users took offence to comments made on the account where she identified herself as a York Region paramedic.

The paramedic service posted a statement on its Twitter account yesterday: "Following the completion of an internal investigation, the individual is no longer employed by The Regional Municipality of York.

"The Regional Municipality of York and York Region Paramedic Services are committed to a welcoming and inclusive community where diversity is celebrated. The individual's comments are not reflective of the values of our organization and are contrary to our employee Code of Conduct."

This seemed to satisfy the many social media users who had called for her dismissal.

"I am glad this person is no longer employed," said a user Dr. Oz Ophila.

York Region would not clarify whether to the paramedics service to determine if the paramedic was fired or quit.

During the internal investigation, Vanek was represented by the paramedics union, CUPE Local 905. But the union did not publicly defend her actions as a matter of free speech as some sympathizers have.

The union declined to comment further.

Vanek's Twitter account has been deleted, but the opinions she expressed there that others found objectionable ranged from saying:

• An allegedly knife-wielding man who was stunned and shot with a bean bag by police was lucky to be alive because she would have shot him if she were in the officers' place
• Saying inmates deserved unsafe conditions in jail during the pandemic
• Griping about people wanting "handouts" and "free money"

Stating that a man killed by suspected gang members in a case of mistaken identity was probably not as innocent as investigators believed