Appeal court quashes fine against Saskatchewan nurse who made critical Facebook post

Saskatchewan’s highest court has overruled a disciplinary decision and $26,000 fine levied against a nurse who criticized her grandfather’s care on Facebook.

The Court of Appeal quashed the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association’s finding of professional misconduct against Carolyn Strom, a registered nurse from Prince Albert.

A few weeks after her grandfather’s death in 2015, Strom wrote on Facebook that some unnamed staff at his long-term care facility in Macklin were not up to speed on delivering end-of-life care.

The association’s lawyer argued that Strom personally attacked an identifiable group without attempting to get all the facts about her grandfather’s care.

Justice Brian Barrington-Foote wrote in his decision that Strom’s freedom of expression was infringed and she had a right to criticize the care her grandfather received.

The judge ruled that criticism of the health-care system is in the public interest and when it comes from frontline workers, it can bring positive change.

The Canadian Press