From Case To Practice: What Makes A Workplace Harassment Investigation “Appropriate In The Circumstances?”

The Case¹

Alyssa Gassi began working as a Municipal Prosecutor for The Corporation of the County of Lambton (the “County”) on October 28, 2024. Her employment was terminated on a with-cause basis on April 4, 2025. During her employment, on March 3, 2025, Ms. Gassi submitted a complaint of harassment to the County in which she identified multiple individuals whom she alleged spoke negatively about her, failed to share information with her, spoke to her in an unprofessional, condescending, and intimidating manner, laughed at her, and more. A Senior Labour Relations Consultant (the “SLRC”) with the County conducted an investigation into her complaint, in which he interviewed Ms. Gassi and the Manager of Court Services, after which he concluded “that there was no harassment or toxic work environment as defined by the Workplace Harassment Policy, but that the workplace relationships in the court required improvement.” On March 31, 2025, the SLRC met with Ms. Gassi and advised her of his