Bksmithca,
When airborne, the discussion of whether to continue or divert is taken out of our hands by MedLink. By my airline's procedures (and I would think Air Canada is similar), I am to contact MedLink for any situation, even when there is a doctor on board. The FAs provide us with the symptoms observed or reported by the passenger or onboard doctor, and we relay this information to the on-call doctor or nurse at MedLink. The MedLink professional then decides for us whether to continue or divert. Whether we continue to destination or divert, we would still issue a Pan or Mayday with ATC in order that we might have an ambulance waiting - unless MedLink advised us otherwise. We are also supposed to call MedLink when we are on the ground, but it's been my experience that in the three to five minutes it takes to have this conversation with the doctor, EMS will already have been onboard for two minutes if we call a Pan or Mayday on the radio. In a situation where we cannot get in touch with MedLink, then it goes back to the decision making of old - do I or my FA's think that the person in question is in peril if they remain on the aircraft, or can they continue. I try and look at such situations as I do with my son. If I think a bit of bed rest is what is needed, we continue. If given the conditions I would take my son to the hospital, then I divert.
I find the inconvenience of a diversion is quickly eroded with the right words over the PA and a generic plea to peoples basic human nature.
This is all part and parcel of why I feel AC is being handed a slap to the face. They did what they thought was right at the moment. It might have been proven wrong or slightly less than correct with hindsight, but hindsight in these situations should not be used as a legal argument. I can only imagine the complexities and frustrations of dealing with other cultures or languages on their home turf where perhaps disembarking the passenger is the best course of action to save from a bigger incident.
I also doubt much has changed since you last flew; we have onboard a number of standard aviation first aid kits, an AED, a couple first aid oxygen bottles, and a universal protections kit. I had to look up the contents of these kits in our Flight Attendant Manual (FAM), and I do not see a digital thermometer listed - just the standard items one would find in any off-the-shelf kit, plus the UPK. The FAM does describe different temperatures for different conditions, however, they must train people to still use the back of their hand and guesstimate a persons temperature.