Even here in Canada, where gender equality in the workplace is a
priority, there are still certain workplaces that have proven
hostile to women. Alberta residents no doubt agree that
firefighting is one such field, where the work is still widely
considered the province of men. Regardless of these presumptions,
the reality is that workplace
harassment of any type continues to be inappropriate and, in
some cases, actionable under the law.
This is illustrated in the case of a female firefighter in
Toronto who has charged a colleague with sexual assault after what
she describes as a decade of harassment in the field. The woman
claims she maintained silence since 2006 and instead attempted to
switch fire halls, which she did some three times over the
following 10 years. Her coming forward launched a massive
investigation into two dozen male firefighters, all of whom were
under suspicion for behaviour ranging from harassment and bullying
to outright abuse.
