An independent inquiry into workplace harassment at Yellowknife’s City Hall will be broadened to include alleged misuse of security cameras.
Senior administrative officer Sheila Bassi-Kellett confirmed the change on Monday at a meeting of councillors serving on the municipal services committee.
The inquiry primarily relates to allegations against municipal enforcement manager Doug Gillard dating to 2014. However, the inquiry’s terms of reference – published on the City’s website – made no mention of allegations Gillard inappropriately used the City’s cameras to follow and ogle women.
Vancouver law firm Miller Thompson, leading the inquiry, has now been instructed to broaden the scope of its investigation.
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“I just wanted to confirm the City has been working on the methodology with Miller Thompson,” Bassi-Kellett told councillors.
“It will be as per the terms of reference posted on our website at this time, and it will also include issues with the processes and outcomes of any other concerns related to workplace misconduct in the municipal enforcement division in 2014 – particularly into whether there was inappropriate use or access of security cameras.”
The harassment inquiry was not listed on the meeting’s published agenda; Bassi-Kellett requested it be added to the schedule and spoke at the end of a separate item relating to the Smart Cities Challenge.
City councillors have in recent weeks held several behind-closed-doors meetings relating, in part, to the terms of reference.
The cameras are not the only area of contention. The merits of focusing purely on complaints relating to 2014 have also been discussed, as some allegations printed by Northern News Services and the CBC refer to preceding years – which the terms of reference appear to specifically exclude from consideration.
Dennis Kefalas, the City’s senior administrator during the period covered by the inquiry, resigned from his most recent post as the municipality’s public works boss last week.
