Law enforcement is supposed to protect all of us, not a select few; bring concerns to us, counsel you can trust
We respect and celebrate the efforts of all police services in Ontario. Policing is a challenging and often thankless job. Officers risk their lives daily to protect citizens, and we are thankful and grateful to them for doing this valuable work.
Like all sectors of society, policing is not perfect. There are areas where policing can be improved. One such area is the protection of human rights among officers within the police service. GAB Law Firm realizes that fundamental human rights may be infringed upon by some officers who took an oath to protect us in policing. Examples are behaviour that is deemed intimidating, hostile, discourteous, harassing, discriminatory, sexist, racist, and even life-threatening. There is recourse. Our lawyer, Gary A. Bennett, has represented police officers across Ontario in human rights cases. Through no fault of their own, these officers have found themselves in the challenging position of a legal dispute with their co-workers or superiors.
We have the experience and extensive labour, employment, and civil law knowledge to advocate on our clients’ behalf. Our goal is to see all of our policing clients begin to piece their lives back together. They can move forward with their lives only when the often scary and challenging circumstances that led to their grievances and claims are behind them.
If any of the following or related circumstances are familiar to you, we encourage you to contact us. Do not let a broken system go unaddressed. Let your voice be heard. Don’t let it be swept under the rug. The below issues, cases, and conditions listed here partly represent the types of clients and situations that we have navigated:
- Since 2016, many policewomen have come forward with claims of sexual abuse and sexual harassment. They were inspired by a landmark $100 million class-action lawsuit against the RCMP.
- Policewomen often have well-documented allegations via text messages, videos, and audio of sustained sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and discrimination based on their sex.
- Policewomen, including veterans, have further alleged that they were subject to violent behaviour and threats and were bullied by fellow police officers.
- Some policewomen allege that senior police officers attempted to bribe them in an effort to get them to withdraw their grievances and complaints of sexual harassment and bullying.
- This unhealthy environment and system have had a “chilling” effect. Many policewomen note that they did not press charges or come forward earlier in the hopes that their department would protect them or that they would be left alone by staying silent.
- Policewomen have alleged widespread discrimination and hostility based on their gender, skin colour, ethnicity, and other protected characteristics.
- Policewomen have been passed over for promotions because they complained about being sexually harassed and bullied.
- Policewomen have suffered “career suicide” and mistreatment by co-workers and superiors as punishment for complaining about sexual harassment and bullying by fellow male officers.
- Reprisals in the form of the male officer who abused a policewoman being promoted to a position of authority over her and her career advancement.
- Investigations into sexual harassment in the police service are suddenly dropped, or investigations are launched against the policewoman victim resulting in findings of discreditable conduct and insubordination, despite their having impeccable careers prior to complaining.
- Policewomen have not received any support from their police services or police associations.
- Police associations refuse to pay legal fees for policewomen who file human rights applications.
- Police associations refuse to pursue grievances or human rights applications on behalf of their police women members.
- Police associations protect and pay legal fees for policemen to defend them against sexual assault and sexual harassment applications made by their police women co-workers who are also police association members.
- Policewomen who end up on a medical leave of absence due to stress in the workplace after complaining about sexual assault, sexual harassment, or bullying from policemen co-workers.
- Suspected policemen offenders have been suspended with pay and have received full support from police services and police associations for criminal acts and sexual violence against fellow policewomen.
The “blue wall of silence” is alive and well in Ontario and Canada as a whole. You deserve to feel safe at work and within the community that you call home. No one should be allowed to hide behind a badge.
We have demonstrated our ability to successfully fight for and navigate the system on behalf of clients who may otherwise feel they are facing insurmountable odds. We also handle each case and client relationship with the sensitivity it deserves. To securely and confidentially reach us, call our Mississauga, ON office at (365) 800-2090 or request a consultation with Gary A. Bennett on this website.
