WINNIPEG — The owner of a now-defunct Winnipeg business has been fined by a government-appointed adjudicator after he sent “racist and vulgar content and photos” to his colleagues.
A government-appointed adjudicator determined that for over two years, three employees from A+ Financial Services were subjected to emails that violated The Human Rights Code, including material that was deemed racist. Wayne McConnell, the owner of the business, also subjected two female employees to unwanted sexual advances, the adjudicator found.
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“It is simply vile and disgusting that anyone in a workplace environment should send such materials to anyone else,” said Adjudicator Robert Dawson.
Dawson awarded each complainant $20,000 for injury to “their dignity, feelings and self-respect,” the commission’s statement read. He also added that McConnell’s actions were inappropriate and illegal.
The original complaints were filed to Manitoba Human Rights Commission in 2011 and a lengthy investigation by the commission was undertaken.
The commission’s chairperson Yvonne Peters added, “this decision make it very clear that owners and managers have the responsibility under The Human Rights Code to create environments that are respectful, inclusive and safe.”
The commission said over 200 complaints were filed to them in 2015; eight of these cases classified as sexual harassment allegations. Peters said this represents only a small portion of harassment cases known to happen in the province.
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