Vancouver Park Board publicly accused of toxic workplace culture
During Monday night’s park board meeting in Vancouver, a man who claimed he was an operations worker for the city did not hold back, making some serious allegations about workplace bullying and harassment.
“I’ve witnessed widespread fear of management. I’ve been subjected to racism in the workplace by supervisors. I’ve witnessed repeated violations of the city’s current bullying and harassment policies,” said Jose Raphael.
Raphael felt compelled to speak to commissioners when the board was discussing its new code of conduct policy, one of the items on the agenda. However, he was cut off mid-sentence by board chair Camil Dumont.
“Jose, I am just going to stop you for a second. What you’re describing sounds very serious and I’ve just been informed by our general manager, it’s clearly a human resources matter. And your presence here, may have repercussions for yourself and so on,” he said.
“I would suggest this may not be appropriate time to bring these items to the board. I would consider maybe even speaking to a staff member here and figuring out what the best course of action will be, because I think it’s important you be heard,” he added. .
Raphael agreed and finished by saying he’s witnessed a divide between city policies and operations.
“I hope whatever new policies do come, that it actually reflects the operations of the city,” he said.
WORKPLACE POLICY
Under section 3.1 in the city of Vancouver’s corporate policy for human rights and harassment, it states “An individual who believes he or she is being harassed … may consult an (Equal Employment Opportunity) advisor, who can assess whether the complaint falls under this policy and discuss possible courses of action.”
“What we don’t know, is if this employee actually tried to do the right thing and followed the policy or if he just chose to disregard it,” said Debby Carreau, human resources expert at
“If employees do speak out -- even if it's not the way an organization wants them to -- they still deserve the right to be heard and to be treated with respect,” she said.
Employment Lawyer, Sara Forte with Forte Workplace Law, says every employer in B.C. is mandated to have a bullying and harassment policy, and training on how to approach these sensitive issues.
“The first thing I tell workers who are suffering from bullying and harassment at work is to find their employer's policy. That policy needs to address what the expectations are. So, what is bullying and harassment, how to report it and then have an investigation protocol that will be followed,” said Forte.
Forte adds that workers also have the right to bring a complaint to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, if it relates to discrimination under prohibited grounds such as race or sex, among others.
CITY RESPONDS
As for whether Rapheal’s concerns were addressed, the city of Vancouver’s Board of Parks and Recreation said in a statement that bullying and harassment is not tolerated.
“The City of Vancouver has two policies which address workplace harassment and bullying: the Respectful Workplace Policy and the Human Rights and Harassment Policy. Staff are informed of both policies and the process for making complaints during their orientation, and throughout the course of their employment, including through regular safety talks, crew talks, and through online resources," it read.
"While we cannot comment on any specific employee complaint due to privacy legislation, we can confirm that retaliation against staff for raising concerns of bullying or harassment in good faith is prohibited.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Donald Trump picks former U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has nominated former diplomat and U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the American ambassador to Canada.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Baby dies after being reported missing in midtown Toronto: police
A four-month-old baby is dead after what Toronto police are calling a “suspicious incident” at a Toronto Community Housing building in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday afternoon.
Sask. woman who refused to provide breath sample did not break the law, court finds
A Saskatchewan woman who refused to provide a breath sample after being stopped by police in Regina did not break the law – as the officer's request was deemed not lawful given the circumstances.
Parole board reverses decision and will allow families of Paul Bernardo's victims to attend upcoming parole hearing in person
The families of the victims of Paul Bernardo will be allowed to attend the serial killer’s upcoming parole hearing in person, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says.