Manitoba Justice says that awarding $75,000 to a former employee who was harassed for being gay is “unjustifiable”.
The employee known as T.M. filed with the Human Rights Commission alleging that he was the victim of harassment because of his sexual orientation, including homophobic slurs and sexually explicit comments.
Last year, a provincial adjudicator found that the province failed to provide a safe and respectful workplace for the former corrections officer, and despite being made aware of the harassment, Manitoba Justice did nothing to stop it.
The adjudicator awarded T.M. $75,000 in damages and ordered the government to conduct training on harassment and hire a respectful workplace advisor for staff at the Winnipeg youth jail.
Earlier this month, the provincial government filed an application asking the judge to reduce the amount awarded to T.M.
The Justice Department says that the adjudicator made an error in law “by awarding an unjustifiable quantum of damages for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect”.
