Lash Lady is now licensed in New Brunswick

After the cosmetology association secured an injunction to keep Whitney Durelle from plying her trade, she has since become a member, ditching a plan to move to B.C.

After the Cosmetology Association of New Brunswick took the unlicensed lash technician to court to keep her from playing her trade, Whitney Durelle and the organization have made up.

The association filed an application with the Court of King’s Bench last summer, asking a judge to bar Durelle from doing cosmetology and aesthetics work on clients.

The reason: Durelle, who operates Lash Lady Studio and Cosmetics in eastern New Brunswick, was unlicensed to do such work and wasn’t a member of the association, which was required.

Whitney Durelle (Photo: Facebook)

That requirement to be licensed is legislated under the Act to Incorporate the Cosmetology Association of New Brunswick, and the regulatory body oversees licensing and the examination process to be granted that standing.

Justice Terrence Morrison granted the injunction application March 13, but he noted it wasn’t a permanent ban to keep Durelle from working in the province. He said it would be lifted if and when Durelle was licensed by the association.

At the time, Durelle said fulfilling the examination and licensing requirements was cost-prohibitive, stating in an affidavit it could carry a five-figure price tag - something she couldn’t afford.

She said last month in light of the court’s decision, she was moving back to British Columbia so she could earn a living.

Doing so, Durelle said, would require her to uproot her two kids here and leave her spouse and his two children behind.

But in the weeks since the March 13 decision, Durelle has been posting on her Lash Lady page on Facebook that she’s moved to St. Louis, N.B., not British Columbia, and is accepting appointments and new clients in her new workspace.

She’s now licensed to practise in New Brunswick, and the Cosmetology Association’s website lists her as an active member.

From adversaries to partners

Durelle told the Fredericton Independent recently she changed her mind shortly after Morrison’s decision.

“I thought about it and I don't think it would've been fair to separate the family and start all over again in another province,” she wrote in an email.

Durelle said she decided to contact Gaye Cail, the association’s executive director, and she discovered the steps she needed to take weren’t as onerous as she originally thought.

“The process of getting licensed was easy and she was very helpful. I passed all the exams required, and on April 5, I went to Fredericton for the provincial exam and I passed it as well. I am now a licensed lash technician.”

It turned out the application and licensing process wasn’t as arduous or expensive as she originally thought, Durelle said.

“I didn't have to take all the courses again due to the experience I had,” she said.

“... All my regular clients still came back to me after I was fully licensed and I also gained many new clients.”

Cail confirmed this week Durelle completed the requirements to be a licensed cosmetologist in the province earlier this month.

Above are examples Durelle posted to social media of the lash work that she does. (Photo: Facebook)

She wrote in an email that the association appreciates that Durelle decided to communicate and work with the organization following the granting of the injunction. The association also must ensure it’s open to working with anyone who wants to pursue a career in cosmetology and aesthetics, Cail said.

“It is the duty of the association to demonstrate a willingness to co-operate with any cosmetologists who wish to become licensed,” she wrote.

“There is a significant importance for applicants to communicate with the association to receive correct and accurate information pertaining to licensing.”

Durelle said despite the tumultuous year she had opposing the association’s push for her to be licensed, she feels the court case ultimately served a positive purpose.

“I also had a few unlicensed lash technicians reaching out to me on social media, and I helped them start the process of getting their licence in New-Brunswick,” she wrote.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.