Amanda Jensen’s son Jake was well enough to attend school on Thursday, something which wasn’t the case earlier this year.
Last October, Jake was diagnosed with leukemia and has been in and out of hospital ever since.
On top of caring for Jake and her three other children, Jensen is now looking for work.
She says her unpaid leave and employment was terminated by the Lethbridge Lodging Association just weeks after Jake’s diagnosis.
But it was legal. Under Alberta’s labour laws, a worker must be employed at their job for at least a year before being eligible for compassionate care leave. Jensen was only there eight months.
“I am also pursuing action through the Alberta Human Rights Commission because though it was legal through employment standards – what happened to me – my human rights were violated,” Jensen said.
To complicate matters, days before her last day of work, she filed a sexual harassment complaint against her employer. The Alberta Human Rights Commission would not confirm any details of any complaint made.
The Lethbridge Lodging Association (LLA) declined to comment on the sexual harassment allegation, but provided Global News with a statement on Jensen’s employment situation.
“The LLA…investigated all avenues and resources available to a small, not-for-profit organization before deciding not to grant the extensive leave of absence request,” the statement reads in part. “Amanda responded that she considered the LLA to ‘have terminated her employment’… Even then, the LLA chose not to fill the position on a permanent basis and instead contracted the position for the short term thereby leaving the option for Amanda to return.”
In the meantime, Jensen has been in contact with the Alberta government, hoping to see a policy developed for parents caring for critically ill children.
“I will keep trying to work with the provincial government as much as I am able to do to ensure these changes to employment standards are executed.”
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