Western affiliated professor contends she’ll be ‘fired’ for not getting vaccinated
![Julie Ponesse is seen in a video posted online Julie Ponesse is seen in a video posted online (Source: Facebook)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/9/8/julie-ponesse-is-seen-in-a-video-posted-online-1-5578212-1631152432500.jpg)
A professor at an affiliate institution of London, Ontario’s Western University says she is about to be dismissed for not getting two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Julie Ponesse's plea, seemingly recorded just days before the school year, has been posted and shared on multiple sites including Facebook.
Ponesse is an ethics professor at Huron University College. In the video, she begins by stating she must comply with getting vaccinated to keep her job.
“My employer has just mandated that I must get a vaccine for COVID-19. If I want to keep working at my job as a professor, I must take this vaccine.”
In the five-minute address, Ponesse speaks of the conflict between her expertise in ethics and her questions surrounding the “experimental” vaccines.
“I’ve taken plenty of vaccines in my life, but I’ve never been forced to take one. It’s always been my choice.”
Ponesse says, if allowed back in the classroom, she will teach her students her stance about forcing vaccination
“I’m here to tell you it is ethically wrong to coerce someone to take a vaccine”, she says.
A version of the video posted on Facebook then ends suggesting, “Dr. Ponesse was dismissed from her position on September 7, 2021.”
While Huron University College confirmed its already announced policy regarding proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, spokesperson Drew Davidson would not respond specifically on Ponesse’s employment status.
“While I can’t comment on individual HR matters, I can confirm to you that at this time, no one at Huron has been dismissed as a result of this policy.”
He also added, that through policy, anyone who has not submitted proof of vaccination by September 7th, “will not be allowed on campus.”
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