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With his legal team behind him, Delwin Vriend won his case at the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench. Justice Russel pulled no punches in her written ruling, stating that discrimination against the gay and lesbian communities was an historical, universal, notorious, and indisputable social reality. 

It was a big win for Delwin and his team, however it would be short lived as the Government of Alberta appealed the ruling. The next stage in the legal process would not be so kind to Delwin’s pursuit for equality for Alberta’s 2SLGBTQI+ community.

Welcome to episode 4 of Vriend Versus Alberta.

*NOTE: The terms “Queer and Trans” and “sexual and gender minorities” are used in this series to refer to the 2SLGBTQI+ community as a whole. We acknowledge the great diversity within this community, and you can find more information about this here.

Vriend Versus Alberta is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Queer History Project.

Links:
Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on Vriend v. Alberta.
Watch Senator Paula Simon’s speech in the Red Chamber about Vriend v. Alberta.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta from the Alberta Labour History Institute.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta  on the University of Alberta’s Bridging Connections podcast.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta on the Edmonton Heritage Council’s Edmonton City as Museum Project podcast produced with Alberta Labour History Institute.

ECF Happenings:
Read the latest on our blog.
Check out our ECF Fund listing and Strategic Granting Guide.
See how ECF connects you with Edmonton’s community.
Check out some of the amazing funds our donors have created.

ECF Grants:
* Click here to see all ECF Grants.

Upcoming Student Awards:
* Click here to find details for all of our student awards!

The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation. And is a proud, affiliate member of the Alberta Podcast Network.

EPISODE IMAGE: Doug Stollery was co-counsel alongside Sheila Greckol. Together they would lead the process of arguing Delwin’s case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. CREDIT: JoAnne Pearce

Transcripts by Karli Drew.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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When Delwin Vriend was fired from his job at a Christian college for being gay, he had two choices; he could accept his termination, or fight back.

He chose to fight. The first step was to file a complaint to the Alberta Human Rights Commission, but after the Commission denied his request it was time to take the Alberta Government to court.

In this episode we look at the series of serendipitous events that brought Delwin’s legal team together to continue the arduous journey toward equality for Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ community. 

Welcome to episode 3 of Vriend Versus Alberta.

*NOTE: The terms “Queer and Trans” and “sexual and gender minorities” are used in this series to refer to the 2SLGBTQI+ community as a whole. We acknowledge the great diversity within this community, and you can find more information about this here.

Vriend Versus Alberta is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Queer History Project.

Links:
Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on Vriend v. Alberta.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta from the Alberta Labour History Institute.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta  on the University of Alberta’s Bridging Connections podcast.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta on the Edmonton Heritage Council’s Edmonton City as Museum Project podcast produced with Alberta Labour History Institute.

ECF Happenings:
Read the latest on our blog.
Check out our ECF Fund listing and Strategic Granting Guide.
See how ECF connects you with Edmonton’s community.
Check out some of the amazing funds our donors have created.

ECF Grants:
* Click here to see all ECF Grants.

Upcoming Student Awards:
* Click here to find details for all of our student awards!

The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF). 

EPISODE IMAGE: Murray Billett played an instrumental role supporting Delwin’s case behind the scenes helping to coordinate media and fundraising efforts. CREDIT: JoAnne Pearce

Transcripts by Karli Drew.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

In the previous episode of Vriend Versus Alberta we learned how the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms laid the groundwork for 2SLGBTQI+ activists to begin pressing for progressive reform in Alberta.

 All that was needed was a cause to rally behind; an injustice that could be used to launch a challenge to the exclusion of sexual orientation from Alberta’s human rights legislation.

That injustice would take place on January 28th, 1991 when a laboratory coordinator employed at The King’s College would be fired for being gay.

This man was Delwin Vriend.

Welcome to episode 2 of Vriend Versus Alberta.

*NOTE: The terms “Queer and Trans” and “sexual and gender minorities” are used in this series to refer to the 2SLGBTQI+ community as a whole. We acknowledge the great diversity within this community, and you can find more information about this here.

Vriend Versus Alberta is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Queer History Project.

Links:
Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on Vriend v. Alberta.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta from the Alberta Labour History Institute.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta  on the University of Alberta’s Bridging Connections podcast.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta on the Edmonton Heritage Council’s Edmonton City as Museum Project podcast produced with Alberta Labour History Institute.

ECF Happenings:
Read the latest on our blog.
Check out our ECF Fund listing and Strategic Granting Guide.
See how ECF connects you with Edmonton’s community.
Check out some of the amazing funds our donors have created.

ECF Grants:
* Click here to see all ECF Grants.

Upcoming Student Awards:
* Click here to find details for all of our student awards!

The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation. And is a proud, affiliate member of the Alberta Podcast Network.

EPISODE IMAGE: Delwin Vriend joins an Edmonton Queer History Bus Tour hosted by the EQHP. CREDIT: JoAnne Pearce

Transcripts by Karli Drew.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Vriend Versus Alberta is a special podcast series detailing the ground-breaking Supreme Court ruling that helped pave the way for equality for Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ community. 

On January 28, 1991, Delwin Vriend was fired from his job as a laboratory coordinator at The King’s College in Edmonton, Alta. because he was gay.

Delwin’s only recourse was to file a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission. However, in 1991 sexual orientation was not included as a protected ground against discrimination in Alberta’s human rights legislation.

It was perfectly legal for members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community to be refused service at restaurants, denied accommodations, evicted from their homes, and fired from their jobs.

 When the Alberta Human Rights Commission denied Delwin’s complaint, the stage was set for a monumental legal battle that would forever change Canadian history.

But to fully understand how this historic Supreme Court decision changed the way we understand the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we will need to look back at the political and social reality of being a 2SLGBTQI+ Canadian in the tumultuous decades leading up to the court challenge.

Welcome to episode 1 of Vriend Versus Alberta.

*NOTE: The terms “Queer and Trans” and “sexual and gender minorities” are used in this series to refer to the 2SLGBTQI+ community as a whole. We acknowledge the great diversity within this community, and you can find more information about this here.

Vriend Versus Alberta is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Queer History Project.

Links:
Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on Vriend v. Alberta.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta from the Alberta Labour History Institute.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta  on the University of Alberta’s Bridging Connections podcast.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta on the Edmonton Heritage Council’s Edmonton City as Museum Project podcast produced with Alberta Labour History Institute.

ECF Happenings:
Read the latest on our blog.
Check out our ECF Fund listing and Strategic Granting Guide.
See how ECF connects you with Edmonton’s community.
Check out some of the amazing funds our donors have created.

ECF Grants:
* Click here to see all ECF Grants.

Upcoming Student Awards:
* Click here to find details for all of our student awards!

The Well Endowed Podcast is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation. And is a proud, affiliate member of the Alberta Podcast Network.

EPISODE IMAGE: Michael Phair hosts a Queer History Walking Tour in downtown Edmonton. Phair was arrested alongside more than 50 men during the Pisces Bathhouse raid in 1981. Phair would go on to become the first openly gay politician elected in Alberta. CREDIT: JoAnne Pearce

Transcripts by Karli Drew.