Report says closed-minded gov’t probe led to health-worker firings
Posted December 19, 2014 4:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – A Victoria labour lawyer says a Liberal government probe that prompted the firings or suspensions of seven health researchers was second-rate and closed-minded.
Marcia McNeil’s report concludes best practices were not met for the original investigation and the investigation did not align with existing procedures.
Her review made 12 findings and the government has issued a statement accepting the report’s conclusions, taking accountability for its sanctions and promising to change how it responds to future allegations of employee misconduct.
McNeil was appointed by the government to review the dismissals of four ministry employees and suspensions of three others in 2012, prompted by an investigation into the relationship between university researchers seeking grants and employees working on BC’s Pharmacare program.
Roderick MacIsaac, one of the four fired, was in the last week of his student co-op placement with the government and later took his own life.
“It’s the last week before Christmas,” BC NDP leader John Horgan says. “We get a report that’s incomplete, that identifies that the critical questions remain unanswered, and those who are best able to answer those questions blame somebody else, and as a result no blame is apportioned. I don’t think that’s acceptable, certainly, for the memory of Rod MacIsaac. It’s certainly not acceptable for the people of British Columbia.”
“Whose decision was this, and why did they make it? Seven individuals’ lives were dragged through the mud, one took his own life as a result,” Horgan says. “Since that time, many of the individuals have been returned to their employ because they were wrongly dismissed, and there’s no consequences? Millions of dollars have been spent on legal fees and trying to cover this up, and the public should be asking for questions… this is not over.”
The government actions have prompted out-of-court settlements, reinstatements, union grievances and court cases.
