SASKATOON – The owner of a Saskatoon hotel has been fined for sexually harassing a female employee.
The case involved John Pontes, owner-manager of Northwoods Inn and Suites.
A judge has ruled he must pay $44,900 in fines, damages and lost earnings stemming from a complaint filed by a former hotel clerk to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
Chief Commissioner David Arnot says the woman, who quit her job over the harassment, suffered significant harm to her human rights.
The woman will receive the maximum $10,000 award for discrimination and harassment, plus $31,900 for lost earnings.
Pontes must also pay $3,000 to the court for abusive conduct during the proceedings.
“The judgment is financially notable as the damages provided by the Code far exceed usual damages for wrongful dismissal,” Arnot said in a release.
“This is a clear message that egregious human rights violations will not be tolerated in the workplace.”
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