Yellowknife council may take closer look into workplace harassment allegations against Doug Gillard

Current Yellowknife city councillors who were on council at the time a complaint was made about workplace bullying and harassment in its municipal enforcement division would not talk about the allegations after a long in camera meeting on Monday.

But next week, they will debate a motion to look into allegations of workplace harassment and how those allegations againstthe manager of the municipal enforcement divisionwere investigated.

CBCfirstreported allegations against manager DougGillardon Monday, detailing how former bylaw officerShaynePiersonfiled a complaint in 2014 againstGillardalleging workplace bullying and harassment.

• Former employee alleges inappropriate behaviour by head of Yellowknife's bylaw

The investigation of the complaintwas done by a third-party investigator and overseen by then senior administrative officer DennisKefalaswho, according to internalemailsviewed byCBC, socialized withGillard.

Coun. Adrian Bell, who earlier introduced awhistleblowerpolicy to protect people who complain about wrongdoing at the city, said he is going to introduce a motion to pursue an official inquiry by a third party into allegations of workplace harassment that have been brought to council's attention.

Bell also wants the inquiry to look into the handling ofPierson'scomplaint.

The city had a workplace harassment policy in place at the time.

It forbade "objectionable conduct, comment or display made on either a one-time or continuous basis, that demeans, belittles, threatens, or causes personal humiliation or embarrassment to an employee."

More allegations surface

Pierson alleged that Gillard slapped officers in the groin, spit on their sunglasses, and made inappropriate sexual comments about female city employees.Though it wasn't part of his complaint, Pierson and other former officers said Gillard also used security cameras in city facilities to eye women he found attractive.

In an emailed account toCBC,Kerry Nicholson, another former bylaw officer who worked in the division from 2006 to 2012, saidhe tooexperiencedharassment byGillard.

He recalls thatGillardinvited officers into his office to view the live video of the women.

Nicholson said he still remembers his first meeting with Gillard. Like many new hires at the division, he was young just 20 years old and new to the field.

Nicholson said Gillard made fun of how skinny he was and told him he would have to wear a hand-me-down female uniform.

He saidin the first few weeks on the job, after learning Nicholson didn't have a girlfriend, Gillard started suggesting he was homosexual.

Nicholson said that was the first of many sexually inappropriate comments Gillard made to him, including comments about female municipal enforcement officers.

The former officer saidGillard also asked him which one of two women working in municipal enforcement at the time he would rather have sex with, suggested one was a lesbian, and talked openly about wanting to have sex with a female city employee.

Nicholson said he was targeted by Gillard after he tried to unionize municipal enforcement officers.

The city has declined requests for interviews about the complaints lodged against Gillard.