LifeLabs ordered to pay $32,000 after B.C. tribunal finds discrimination against transgender patients

Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
November 08, 2026

Photo Courtesy: CBC News

A British Columbia human rights tribunal has ordered laboratory services provider LifeLabs and its subsidiary to pay a combined $32,000 to three transgender and non-binary patients after finding that staff discriminated against them during separate visits in 2019.

The decision, issued on October 29 and published on November 3, found that the company failed to properly recognize the patients’ gender identities and, in one case, unnecessarily disclosed a patient’s transgender status on a laboratory form.

Two complainants, Noa Moses and Devan Snow, were each awarded $15,000 for harm to their dignity, feelings and self-respect. The third complainant, Vincent Viezzer, was awarded $2,000.

The tribunal also ordered LifeLabs to cover lost wages and $11,100 in expert witness expenses, bringing the additional financial obligations to more than $14,000.

The complaints stemmed from encounters at LifeLabs facilities in Vancouver and Burnaby.

In Moses’ case, staff repeatedly asked the non-binary patient to select either male or female before proceeding with bloodwork. The discussion reportedly continued for about an hour and took place where other patients could potentially hear.

Snow, meanwhile, was unable to have the gender information in LifeLabs’ records changed during a visit to its Burnaby facility. Staff instead relied on the information shown on the patient’s identification documents.

Viezzer’s complaint involved a staff member writing the abbreviation “FTM,” referring to female-to-male, on a laboratory requisition form. The tribunal found the notation was unnecessary and exposed his transgender status without his consent.

LifeLabs argued that its records needed to match the sex marker on government-issued identification for identification, billing and accurate laboratory reporting. It also raised concerns about the technical challenges of changing its information systems.

However, tribunal member Theressa Etmanski ruled that the company failed to establish that accommodating the complainants would cause undue hardship.

The tribunal clarified that verifying a patient’s eligibility for publicly funded health services does not necessarily require a laboratory provider to rely exclusively on the sex marker on their health card throughout the entire service process.

Aside from the financial awards, LifeLabs must provide transgender and non-binary patients with the option to discuss questions about their sex or gender in a private space within six months.

The company was also directed to provide updated privacy training to all staff and management in British Columbia within one year, and take steps to correct or remove the misgendering in Moses’ and Snow’s records within 18 months.

The tribunal acknowledged that LifeLabs had undertaken staff education efforts since the incidents but said further measures were necessary to address the discrimination established in the case.

Not all allegations were upheld. The tribunal dismissed several other claims, including Snow’s complaint concerning laboratory reference ranges and some of Viezzer’s allegations involving test reports and the company’s handling of his concerns.

The ruling, known as Moses and others v. LifeLabs LP and another, is listed as 2026 BCHRT 225.