Allison Inquiry | Julie Ivan | Day 2 September 9th, 2026

Julie Ivan, 50, a Hamilton, Ontario mother of three, has worked for Canada Post since 2006. As a letter carrier she walked 18 to 20 kilometres a day, ran the 30-kilometre Around the Bay race five years in a row, and trained three to five days a week. She received Pfizer first and Moderna on June 30, 2021. Two days later, on a drive north, her feet began to tingle, and over the next days the numbness climbed to her knees, waist and chest, until she could no longer feel to use the bathroom. An emergency department in Toronto found a spinal lesion on MRI, and she says she was told the vaccine made her immune system attack her spine. She describes 1,500 milligrams of IV prednisone followed by a steroid taper, electric shocks with each step, burning feet and hands, numb legs, a new brain lesion found recently, severe fatigue, and a reaction to IVIG treatment. Her neurologist has told her the damage is done, she says, and the goal is to manage symptoms. Ivan has moved from outdoor delivery to inside plant work and then retail, describes losing her energy and motivation, and says she is careful to say she is not anti-vax. Her injury is recognized by the Vaccine Injury Support Program, and MPs thank her for travelling. Recorded at the Allison Inquiry, Day 2, September 9th, 2026. For more information, including the full list of witnesses and experts, go to allisoninquiry.com.

0:00 Swearing in and introduction
0:53 Career and athletic life
2:02 The second dose and spreading numbness
3:45 Telehealth and the emergency room
4:23 MRI lesion and high-dose steroids
5:17 Symptoms spread: hands, head and burning feet
6:03 Prognosis: damage done, new lesion
7:07 Managing medications and symptoms
8:09 Daily limitations: walking and hand dexterity
9:30 IVIG side effects
10:33 Constant fatigue
11:35 The hardest part
12:14 MP questions: family and stigma
14:15 Work accommodations