A proposed class action lawsuit against a number of B.C. municipalities is the topic of hearings this week in B.C. Supreme Court.
The lawsuit was filed by six female police officers alleging they faced harassment and discrimination on the job because of their gender.
Outside the Vancouver Law Courts, lawyer Kyle Bienvenu prepared his clients, all current and former officers, telling them, “Let’s get in there and see what the judge wants to do and get ourselves to certification.”
Central Saanich Officer Ann Piper told Global News, “we’re getting this in front of a judge right now which is what we want, which is what we’re striving for and we’re motivated for.”
Former Delta Police officer Helen Irvine added, “I think every time we come to court, we feel more and more motivated to be here and keep showing up and pushing forward.”
Some of the women have previously shared their stories.
One of them, who can’t be identified due to a court-ordered publication ban, was sexually assaulted by a fellow officer, who was later convicted and jailed.
“What ends up happening with someone like me is you either quit your job or you kill yourself,” she told Global News in October 2023.
At least a dozen lawyers are representing the defendants.
The defendants include municipalities, police boards, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner and B.C.’s solicitor general and public safety minister.
Over the next few days, the court will hear an application from the OPCC, which is attempting to be excluded from the case.
Former Vancouver police officer Tammy Hammell described the proceedings, saying there was “definitely some intense emotion,”
“There’s a lot of people with a lot of stories in that room and if that story is suppressed, then the public is not going to know what is happening in the rank and file and that needs to change.”
The proposed class action case is booked for the entire week, with additional dates set in May.