Transgender Albertan seeks judicial review in 911 discrimination case
Posted February 20, 2025 11:17 am.
Last Updated February 20, 2025 6:55 pm.
An LGBTQ+ advocate who was discriminated against by 911 dispatchers has applied for a judicial review of a ruling by the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal.
Marni Panas, a transgender woman, filed a complaint in 2019 after she was misgendered three times by dispatchers when she called to ask for a welfare check on a friend.
The tribunal found there was discrimination but that dispatchers didn’t mean to misgender Panas and dismissed the complaint.
An application for a judicial review says the tribunal erred in not holding the police employees liable.
“This is about holding these organizations accountable,” said Panas.
Panas called 911 in 2019 requesting a wellness check when her friend, who is also transgender, did not call her after a date — a deal they made to ensure each other’s safety.
The Human Rights Tribunal’s ruling found police called her sir and buddy several times during their interactions, even after being corrected on multiple occasions, also assuming her friend was a sex worker.
When CityNews spoke to Panas, she said she was glad just to see the discrimination confirmed in the official ruling. Now, she wants the 2SLGBTQ+ community to see that she has done everything she could to find justice.
“The struggle to get to this point six years later, and to continue this is really hard, and it’s costly, in terms of emotional labour, but justice is worth it.”
RELATED: Transgender Albertan says tribunal ruling will lead to justice for LGBTQ+ community
Panas says the case is a concern for equity-seeking groups who don’t feel safe calling for help.
Lawyer Michael DeRosenroll, who is representing Panas, says the tribunal made a significant error in dismissing the complaint.
“It was an unreasonable legal conclusion to draw from the tribunal’s own findings of fact. So there is a strong basis for the court to overturn the decision on judicial review,” he said in a statement Thursday.
CityNews reached out to Edmonton police for a response to the human rights case which responded by saying, “EPS maintains agreement with the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal’s conclusion that this incident should not have occurred… As this matter is now before the courts, we are unable to offer any additional comment.”
A hearing date is to be scheduled with the Court of King’s Bench in Edmonton.
-With files from the Canadian Press
