No Jab No Job

My name is Jesse De Costa. I am a husband. A father. A traditional Catholic. A Canadian military veteran.

And, up until recently, I was a firefighter at a major airport.  

But in the fall of 2021 my life was drastically changed. The freedom to provide for my family was stolen from me.

It didn’t matter than I was excellent at my job (recommended for promotion), that our crew was like a second family to me, that I had a 5 year contract, that I had proven immunity to Covid-19, or that I had well reasoned and clergy backed grounds for a religious exemption.

All that mattered now was that I objected to participating in a medical experiment that was mandated by the federal government. And because I would not get jabbed I was put on leave without pay for 90 days. I used that 90 days to appeal to my employer and my union, to no avail. I filed a human rights complaint and also consulted a lawyer. I was then fired “with cause”. I had no idea what that meant until I looked it up. It is normally reserved for severe cases of misconduct (embezzlement, assault, and other criminal matters). It also meant that I could not collect any of the employment insurance I have paid into my entire working life.

So I did what I’ve always done, whatever was necessary to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. I got a job clearing snow and also one helping a home reno company doing general labor. Both exacerbated some injuries I have from my 20+ year military career. This forced me to quit the snow removal job (and I was also not given my final pay check). I’m still working the reno job part time but at the expense of my physical well being. My injuries are not healing as I cannot rest and rehab them. I am in the process of seeing how veterans affairs can help, if at all.

I am here today, telling my story, because of an encounter that I believe was facilitated by God. I connected with a former employee of the airport I was working at through LinkedIn. Turns out he is also a traditional Catholic and was able to move away from Canada and got a job with LifeSite news. He was moved by my story and encouraged me to share it here and ask for your help.

When I started my dream job 3 years ago (after prayerfully deciding to accept even though it meant moving away from our home of 20+ years, away from our extended family, away from our friends) I was thrilled that I was finally in a position to help others and financially support our Church. Thrilled that I could spend more time with my wife and children. Thrilled that I could provide opportunities for them that we’d prayed for many times over the previous years. I never imagined things ending up this way. And I definitely never saw myself needing to ask for help. We need your help to get by while I pursue medical treatment and healing. I just pray that I’m doing the right thing and that God will reward each and every one of you who take the time to read my story. You are all in my prayers. I would very much appreciate if you’d pray for me and my family as well.