Former Kelowna nurse to pay regulator $22,000 for “discriminatory” comments to news

A former Kelowna nurse has been suspended for 30 days and ordered to pay $22,000 for statements he made to a Global News reporter and on a podcast run by a prominent anti-vaxxer.

According to a June 9 BC College of Nurses and Midwives decision, former registered nurse Sean Taylor made comments that were seen as advocating violence as well as other comments that were perceived as discriminatory, while identifying as a nurse.

“It is important that other members of the nursing profession understand that they must not, while identifying or holding themselves out as a nurse, and even if they are off-duty, make public statements that are discriminatory or that can be perceived by members of the public as advocating violence,” the regulator said. “A strong message must be sent to (Taylor), the profession, and the public that the type of misconduct that occurred in this case will not be tolerated.”

Taylor’s case dates back to the early days of the pandemic, when in June 2020, dressed in scrubs, he stood outside Kelowna General Hospital and spoke to Global News about a report that healthcare staff in unnamed BC hospitals had been betting on the blood alcohol level of Indigenous patients.

“When someone doesn’t get what they want and they just call you a racist,” Taylor told Global News. “I’ve just noticed an increase in the last couple days since all this started.”

The regulator found the comment was a “discriminatory statement.”

“The (regulator) held that the insinuation or suggestion that arises from (Taylor’s) comment is that the experience of Indigenous persons who raise concerns about racism in healthcare is being falsely presented, and that such false allegations against healthcare providers are being made only because the complainants are not getting what they wanted from those providers,” the decision reads.

The regulator said Taylor’s comment sends a message that healthcare workers harbour harmful stereotypes about Indigenous persons.

Taylor also made comments on a podcast run by the late Mark Friesen, talking about the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I want to take a road trip and go down and play paintball,” Taylor said on the podcast.

Taylor admitted that the “play paintball” was a euphemism for shooting someone, but argued he said it in jest.

However, the regulator said the statement advocates violence regardless.

Taylor, who ran as a candidate for the People’s Party of Canada in 2019, had called masks “horse shit” and been accused by the regulator of making comments regarding COVID. 

However, in an early ruling the College found the comments were taken out of context and dismissed the allegations.

The College wanted Taylor to pay $27,000 in costs, which is less than 50% of the actual cost, and serve a two-month suspension.

Taylor, who had been nursing since 2005, argued for a reprimand and said he couldn’t afford the costs.

He argued he was suspended in September 2021 and fired a month later because of the statements he made.

He says he’s since struggled to find employment, couldn’t afford a lawyer, and has significant debt. If made to pay costs, he says he’ll have to go bankrupt.

“(Taylor) submits that he has suffered greatly, both in terms of his reputation and by losing his career as a nurse,” the decision reads. 

However, the College pointed out he provided no evidence of his financial situation and he’d let his registration lapse in March 2022.  

“His current inability to practice nursing, and to earn income by working as a registered nurse, is due to his own volition,” the regulator said.

Ultimately, the regulator ordered Taylor to pay $21,900 in costs and suspended his license for 30 days. He has two years to pay.