Vaughan firefighter’s vaccine exemption upheld

One City of Vaughan firefighter’s refusal to be vaccinated for COVID on the basis of religion/creed has been validated by an arbitrator, while a second firefighter’s case has been denied.

Giancarlo DeSantis — a “devout Traditional Catholic under the Society of St. Pius X” — and Lyndon Swing, who said vaccination “conflicts with my Christian faith,” had sought religious exemptions from Vaughan, Ont.’s mandatory vaccination policy. 

In the late September decision, recently shared with The Catholic Register, arbitrator Brian Sheehan sided with DeSantis, ruling “it has been established that in the case of Mr. DeSantis, a prima facie claim exists that the Employer’s refusal to exempt him from the vaccination requirement amounted to discrimination on the basis of religion/creed.” Sheehan accepted that “Mr. DeSantis’ refusal to be vaccinated… was strongly connected to a traditional Catholic belief system.”

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Among DeSantis’ objections was Catholic moral teaching that vaccines developed or tested with cell lines from elective abortions is morally objectionable, citing a number of Church documents, including the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

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In ruling against Swing, Sheehan said Swing “was given ample opportunity to fully explain his rationale and to provide any supporting facts related to his exemption claim” but failed to do so. He had argued that his Christian beliefs prevented him from being vaccinated, but “there was no explanation with respect to the basis or reasons for his claim that he could not be vaccinated as a Christian.”

A version of this article appeared in the November 09, 2025 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Vaughan firefighter’s vaccine exemption upheld"