Canadore College PSW student claims to have been kicked out of program due to pregnancy

A student from China denied a study permit by immigration officials has won an appeal, but still has a ways to go before he can study at Canadore College in North Bay, Ont. (File)

NORTH BAY — A Canadore College PSW student in North Bay has been informed by her program leads that she cannot continue in the program and she believes it’s due to her pregnancy.

Candace Campbell says she was told by the school that completing required placement hours would put too much of a strain on her and her unborn child.

"It was really humiliating. It made feel really upset because all of my peers got to pass and go forward,” said Campbell. "They said it's too much strain on me and the baby and I don't see that.”

Campbell has wanted to be a long-term care home worker since high school, but her dream of graduating from Canadore College's PSW program has been turfed. She says she found out Friday morning that she cannot continue in her program and she believes it's due to her pregnancy and expected delivery in October.

"They've given me a hard times with my pregnancy,” she said. “There have been three different occasions of discrimination.”

The college’s PSW program runs from May-November. In order to graduate, students are required to complete placement hours in long-term care homes while working with patients. Campbell says she completed all of her in-class lessons and was set to begin her placement at Empire Living Centre on Monday.

“I needed to complete 216 to complete this entire course,” she said.

Emails obtained by CTV News dated April 8^th show the college telling Campbell it would be difficult for her to complete the program due to her pregnancy and that it requires her to remain full-time until November.

Campbell wrote back to the school saying she would be able to handle the added strain and pressure. She also believes it’s due to other health issues that she’s not being allowed to continue.

Campbell admits, that due to her illness regarding her pregnancy, she was rushed out of her clinical placement last week and was sent to the hospital. She could not return without a doctor’s note.

CTV News reached out to Canadore College for an interview opportunity. Instead, the school issued a statement.

"The privacy of our students is a priority,” the college wrote. “Canadore college will not be making any comment on this matter.”

The school offered Campbell an opportunity to complete the placement next February, four months after she is set to deliver her child. However, she says this won't work for her because she would have to pay out of her own pocket to complete the necessary hours.

“There are nurses who work up to the time they give birth and they are doing the same type of job and sometimes more intensely than I am,” said Campbell.

Meanwhile, the College Student Alliance, a group advocating for Ontario college students, says it is illegal for intuitions to discriminate against its students.

"Under the Human Rights Code: it provides equal rights and opportunities for all and it makes it illegal to discriminate someone or harass someone because of their age, race, sex, gender, disability or if they're pregnant or not,” said CSA President Eli Ridder.

After her planned graduation, Campbell was hoping to be accepted into the college's practical nursing program. She feels her chances of successfully getting into that program have taken a significant blow.

“I really wanted to obtain those transfer credits and that experience before jumping over to the RPN program,” she concluded. “I hope that they re-consider taking me back into the program for clinical.”