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Foss said Crowder doesn’t think he was treated fairly by the hospital, where he has worked since 2006. No medical information about Duffy was revealed and the Facebook post was removed 43 minutes after it was posted, Foss said. Crowder had posted the message from his home computer and didn’t use hospital resources, Foss said.

“What he stated regarding Mike Duffy being a patient in the hospital was public knowledge through all media sources, both television and print,” said Foss. The Canadian Press reported last December that Duffy had surgery at the Heart Institute.

“There was never any information regarding status of the patient or what might be considered personal patient information. The balance of what was said was fair comment. As to the comment of Gino Odjick, he was not referencing a stay in the hospital, just that he had been proud to shake his hand.”

Foss says Crowder wasn’t unionized and has no recourse through a grievance, but is considering legal action against the hospital.

“His main goal at this moment is to find employment.”

Citing employee confidentiality, the hospital will not comment on the matter.

Crowder did launch a small claims case against the Cornwall Free News, an online newspaper that reported on the post and suggested that Crowder might have violated the hospital’s social media policy and violated patient confidentiality.

The website reported on the Facebook post because it was made in response to another post, critical of Duffy, by Brock Frost, a real estate agent who is running for Cornwall city council.

The lawsuit claims that the news outlet intentionally interfered with Crowder’s economic affairs and seeks damages of $25,000, the maximum allowed in a small-claims action.

“It was not their duty or responsibility to bring this matter to the attention of the Ottawa Hospital or to put the screen shots up on the Internet for all to see after the author had removed it,” the claim says.

None of the allegations in the small claims action have been proved in court.

Jamie Gilcig, who wrote the original story about Crowder’s post, says he is vigorously defending the lawsuit.