Workplace review of Calgary police coming: oversight body

The Calgary Police Service will soon be undergoing a third-party review of its workplace, the police civilian oversight body said Wednesday afternoon.

“While a lot of work has been done, we also know that problems persist,” Calgary Police Commission chair Shawn Cornett said.

She said the commission hasn’t seen the change they hoped previous efforts of reforming police workplace culture would produce, especially in areas of harassment and bullying, as measured by employee surveys.

“The recent public allegations made by a former employee also raised serious concerns,” Cornett said.

The CPC chair said previous commissions publicly acknowledged issues in police workplace culture going back to 2011, and in 2016 started tracking how well employees felt bullying and harassment were being addressed. Eight years ago, the police commission also learned of a 2013 workplace audit whose recommendations were not fully implemented.

“We recognize that it’s time for a more fulsome evaluation of whether the actions taken to date are creating the desired change,” Cornett said. “While the details still need to be worked out, we have decided to bring in an outside expert to conduct a current review or audit of the Calgary Police Service workplace. This review will aim to determine whether the work done so far is moving the workplace in the right direction, what issues persist, and what needs to be done differently to further address bullying, harassment and discrimination.”

The police commission chair said she hoped to have the review begin and have it completed as quickly as is reasonably possible. But conversations and planning within the commission are still in early stages.

“We really want to make sure that this goes ahead expeditiously and we get the information that we need so we can see where we are and what we need to do next,” Cornett said.

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld said CPS has already put work into HR modernization and welcomes the review, but would not halt existing work to wait for the results of the review.

“At the end of the day, we want to make sure that we have a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all of our employees. And that’s the work we’re going to continue to do,” Neufeld said.

The police commission chair said the review would be done as transparently as possible, while also allowing CPS employees to be “confidentially candid.”

“I want to share this decision so that (CPS) members of the service know that we hear their concerns and we are committed to addressing them,” Cornett said.

In late February, Angela Whitney, a former HR director at CPS from 2019 to 2021, went public with Global News to share concerns about harassment and bullying behaviour she saw there that ran counter to best practices in human resources.

On March 20, Neufeld filed a lawsuit against Whitney, claiming her comments “have caused, and will continue to cause irreparable harm to CPS.”

The lawsuit argues the disclosure of confidential information about employees “engaged in HR processes” will have a “chilling effect” on employees’ willingness to trust and participate in the HR process, “thereby interfering with CPS’ ability to continue and modernize the HR process.”

None of the claims in the lawsuit have been tested in court, and a statement of defence has not yet been filed.

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Later in the police commission meeting, Whitney delivered a presentation where she reiterated her concerns about “toxicity and harassment” she saw while with CPS.

She also said she was looking forward to a private meeting with the civilian oversight body in the coming weeks to share specific details.

“My own experiences, as noted as a high-ranking leader during an HR reform ordered by commission, included gender inequality, abuse of authority, harassment, an inability to properly ensure a workplace free of harassment or occupational health and safety, and Bill 30, a lack of respect for equity, diversity and inclusivity, and no psychological safety,” the former HR director said. “Since leaving the CPS, I continue to hear from sworn and civilian employees who are suffering similar or worse experiences. Still, and as a Calgarian, I continue to see alarming symptoms.”

Whitney said the “chilling effect” she has seen was in the police chief’s actions.

“The message Neufeld is sending to members of the CPS and to Calgarians is this: if they raise concerns or report their abuse, they may face severe personal repercussions,” she said.

Neufeld said the lawsuit was not seeking damages or financial reward, only that comments about CPS HR proceedings not be shared on social media.

“We’re looking for compliance with an agreement, a standard agreement, when she left the organization, that I think would be very reasonable for one to expect a professional to adhere to,” the police chief said.

Neufeld suggested he may consider dropping the lawsuit in the future.

– with files from Adam MacVicar, Global News

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