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- calendar_today November 7, 2026
LifeLabs Faces Human Rights Tribunal Ruling
LifeLabs and its subsidiary, Excelleris Technologies, have been ordered by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal to pay $32,000 in damages to three transgender and non-binary patients. The tribunal found that the company discriminated against the individuals by misgendering and outing them at service centres in Vancouver and Burnaby in 2019.
Tribunal Decision and Compensation Orders
Tribunal member Theressa Etmanski announced that LifeLabs must pay $32,000 to the affected individuals for "injury to their dignity." The company was also ordered to pay nearly $3,000 for lost wages and $11,100 to cover the cost of an expert report. Etmanski’s decision, released last week, concluded that the company’s staff failed to respect the gender identities of the patients, leading to multiple discriminatory incidents.
Incidents of Misgendering and Outing
One incident involved Noa Moses, who brought a lab requisition form without a marked sex field to a Vancouver LifeLabs location in October 2019. Staff repeatedly asked Moses to declare themselves as male or female in a public waiting area. Despite Moses clarifying that neither marker applied, staff insisted and ultimately refused to proceed without a binary gender selection. Moses testified that the experience was demeaning and exhausting, being forced to point to either "M" or "F" after repeated questioning, as detailed in Etmanski’s decision.
Another patient, Devan Snow, was not permitted to update his gender identity in LifeLabs’ system and was required to discuss this at the counter in front of other waiting patients. Snow described the situation as embarrassing and said it made him feel "othered and unimportant." Both Moses and Snow reported that they were not offered privacy for these sensitive discussions.
Vincent Viezzer experienced discrimination when, despite his gender marker being correctly listed as "M," staff added the letters “FTM” (female-to-male) to his form, which Viezzer found inaccurate and distressing. He left without completing his blood test as a result. The tribunal accepted Viezzer’s account over the company’s denial.
Human Rights Tribunal Findings
Etmanski’s decision emphasized that disclosing someone's transgender or non-binary identity in public settings can put them at risk of harm, and even seemingly minor notations, like “FTM,” can have significant negative impacts. It was stated that the effects of misgendering and public outing need not be universally recognized as offensive to constitute discrimination.
The tribunal awarded $15,000 each to Moses and Snow, and $2,000 to Viezzer. The financial remedies were specifically for the injury to the patients’ dignity caused by LifeLabs’ actions.
Ordered Reforms and Staff Training
Beyond financial compensation, LifeLabs has been instructed to take substantial corrective actions. The company must update its procedures to ensure that transgender and non-binary patients have access to private spaces for discussions about gender or sex within six months. Additionally, staff and management in British Columbia are required to complete new training focused on privacy and the needs of transgender and non-binary patients within a year.
LifeLabs is also required to correct records related to Moses and Snow’s gender markers, in order to address the misgendering experienced during their visits.
Significance for Transgender Patient Privacy
This decision by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal underscores the importance of recognizing and respecting gender identity in healthcare settings. It also highlights the legal requirement for organizations to ensure privacy and dignity for all patients, particularly those who are transgender or non-binary.
Source: cbc.ca.
