A former Halifax councillor is calling for an independent investigation into “years of pervasive abuse” within the municipality, while the CAO says changes are coming to the workplace.
“It’s time for Mayor Savage, City Councillors, and senior staff to demonstrate some moral courage and do the right thing by the working men and women of our city,” said Jackie Barkhouse in a news release on Monday.
“These problems are spread across city departments, and have been obvious for years to anyone who cared to look. And yet with each new revelation of abuse, city officials always act as if they were surprised.”
Barkhouse, who served as councillor for the Eastern Passage area from 2007 to 2012, said she brought “numerous instances of bullying and harassment to the attention of senior HRM officials but was regularly rebuffed.”
She is the founding member of Equity Watch, a non-profit organization that helps workers struggling with workplace abuse.
The organization was co-founded by Liane Tessier, a former firefighter who received a public apology from Halifax Fire after a settlement reached through the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission last year. Tessier said she fought a 12-year battle against “systemic” gender discrimination in the fire service.
WATCH: Support victims of gender discrimination in the workplace
Last month, the Human Rights Commission also found a Halifax Transit mechanic was discriminated in the workplace.
The former employee, who filed the complaint back in 2006, alleged that his co-workers made degrading and racist comments and that one co-worker tried to run him over with a bus.
On Monday, Chief Administrative Office Jacques Dubé issued a statement, saying the commission’s finding serves as an important reminder “of everyone’s responsibility to ensure that all employees are treated with dignity and respect.”
“Issues of racial harassment and discrimination exist in our society and the HRM workplace is not immune,” Dubé wrote.
He outlined several changes the municipality has implemented in recent years — and changes to come.
Among them, he has promised to create a confidential employee hotline by mid-July for staff who are experiencing harassment but don’t want to go to supervisors or human resources.
Business unit managers will have to show what they have done to identify, stop and prevent harassment and discrimination alleged in any complaint.
As well, he is hiring an external consultant to review their practices around addressing and preventing harassment and discrimination. That will take 75 days and will form an action plan that will be presented to council.
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