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Former Canucks employee breaks her silence on discrimination from club

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Brennen Beaudin
November 27, 2022  (9:20 PM)
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Former Vancouver Canucks employee Rachel Doerrie decided to not hold back any longer after being fired from her position on the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff this year.

On Sunday evening, Doerrie went to Twitter to explain her side of the story regarding her surprising firing back in September. The complaint is filed against the Vancouver Canucks, and she is alleging that she was improperly treated by assistant general manger Emilie Castonguay while she was working with the team as an assistant video coach.

One of the main points she brings up is that she was being discriminated due to a disability that was disclosed prior to her hiring with the team.

7. In particular, Ms. Doerrie was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome («PTSD») in 2018, with associated panic and anxiety attacks and depression.

8. Ms. Doerrie's mental illness is inextricably tied to her physical disability – namely, a heart condition known as vasovagal syncope and a leaky heart valve, for which she received a diagnosis in 2018, but likely has had since a young age. Ms. Doerrie wears a heart monitor every day in order to manage her heart condition.

9. Of significance to this complaint, when Ms. Doerrie was approached by the Canucks for a job opportunity, she disclosed her mental and physical disability to them in the interview process, including details of «triggers» and how her illnesses presented themselves. In disclosing this information, it was Ms. Doerrie's expectation that if she did move to Vancouver for a job with the Canucks, she would be provided with a safe and healthy work environment, which took her mental and physical disabilities into account. It was important to Ms. Doerrie that this issue be addressed at the outset of any employment relationship, as Ms. Doerrie was considering employment opportunities with multiple NHL teams and she did not wish to commence a new job with a team that would not be respectful, considerate, or accommodating of her health conditions.

Doerrie ended up going to HR over the matter, but that ended up going a lot worse than what she had imagined.

44. On September 27, 2022, Ms. Doerrie met with the HR department of the Canucks. She told the HR department that Ms. Castonguay had «crossed the line» with the comments that she had made about Ms. Doerrie's mental ability to perform the job. The HR department stated in response that they had been told by Ms. Castonguay that Ms. Doerrie had spoken to the media about her promotion, and said they would look into Ms. Castonguay's comments to Ms. Doerrie about this.

45. A few hours after Ms. Doerrie's discussion with the HR department, Mr. Allvin terminated Ms. Doerrie's employment with the Canucks, based on the information he had received from Ms. Castonguay.

She believes that her disability and her gender both played huge roles in the discrimination and termination of her position. The entire statement can be seen in her tweet below.

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