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 Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada’s financial-crime watchdog has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.