The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal says an Enderby woman with a serious back injury was discriminated against when she was fired just three days into a new job after spending 16 years out of the workforce.
The tribunal has awarded Carolyn Hurn just over $12,000 for lost wages and damage to her dignity and self-respect.
Hurn suffered major spinal injuries in a car crash in 1989 and was unable to work until she was hired in May of 2008 at a Salmon Arm natural health store called Healthquest Consulting, owned by Hank and Marilla Berkenpas.
The tribunal says Hurn made it clear she had back problems that might require some accommodation in her job but was hired anyway only to be fired three days later, with the Berkenpas' claiming she was unwilling or unable to do the job.
The tribunal says the store owners fired Hurn when they had a change of heart about meeting her needs, something the tribunal says amounted to discrimination based on a physical disability.
In making the award, the tribunal noted how Hurn was forced to live in her car for two months after her firing because she was left penniless.
Hurn has been awarded $4,100 for lost wages.
