City hall held a disciplinary hearing Friday for an unknown number of Winnipeg firefighters who took part in a late April retirement party that broke coronavirus physical-distancing protocols and the provincial ban on gatherings of more than 10 people, Global News can confirm.
The city will interview at least two more Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service employees alleged to have taken part in the unsanctioned retirement party on May 25, the head of the city’s firefighter union, Alex Forrest, said.
Earlier this week, the city said the matter had been dealt with and the investigation was over.
“The investigation has concluded and appropriate action has been determined,” a city communications staffer wrote in an email Wednesday. The staffer also noted that the city took the alleged party seriously.
Friday morning, Global requested an interview with a member of WFPS’s top brass and clarification on whether the investigation had already concluded as the mayor, emergency management boss and communications staff had said.
The city communications department did not address the request for an interview and repeated that the investigation was complete in an afternoon email.
A city communications staffer said there will be meetings between employees, management and the union about the punitive actions in the coming days and again refused comment on what those actions will entail.
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The union boss said the city still plans to conduct two interviews, which he characterized as “investigative,” in the coming days.
Mayor Brian Bowman and emergency management boss WFPS Asst. Chief Jay Shaw declined further comment when pressed on the investigation at a Wednesday press conference on the city’s COVID-19 response.
“The city has protections in place for the safety of our staff and our residents. We expect those rules to be followed,” Bowman said Wednesday. “This matter has been taken seriously, and I understand that action has been taken by human resources.”
Shaw cited privacy concerns.
“This is a human resources matter and due to those sort of privacy concerns we can’t release any additional details on the matter and if you have any further questions, you can go through the city media line,” Shaw added. “At this point, the investigation has concluded and appropriate actions have been determined, so we’ll move forward from there and hope that we can continue to serve the public.”
Global reached out to the city’s communications staff for further information Wednesday, but the staff would not comment beyond saying the issue was dealt with.
The United Firefighters of Winnipeg, which represents city firefighters, declined further comment on the matter while the investigation and disciplinary hearings continue.
“The city had said they had done the investigation and we provided information that said the city was still going through the process,” Forrest said in a brief phone interview.
“We also have two other investigation interviews on (May 25), so they’re still investigating as well as doing disciplinary hearings.”
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
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