Judge issues gag order against former Calgary police HR manager
Posted Jun 11, 2024 7:08 pm.
A judge has awarded the Calgary Police Service (CPS) an interim injunction against a former HR manager who took to social media to make allegations of a toxic workplace.
Angela Whitney made several posts on Linkedin and X earlier this year where she made claims of sexual harassment and bullying without the force. CPS argued she divulged confidential information and threatened to reveal more.
The gag order issued Tuesday means Whitney will need to remove the posts in question and is prohibited from further disparaging CPS.
In rendering her decision, Justice Glenda Campbell said Whitney did not abide by the agreement she signed, which did not allow her to release confidential information or make disparaging comments.
Whitney served as CPS’s HR director from 2019 until her resignation in 2021.
Nicholas Urie is the lawyer for Whitney and he argues Campbell’s decision doesn’t set a good precedent for people who want to speak out.
“What she did get from today was the court did say that she’s now able to finally submit her complaint to the Calgary Police Commission,” he says. “The injunction previously didn’t allow her to complain to the police regulator.”
It’s a small win for a case Urie belives will likely be headed for trial.
In a statement, Calgary police says the granting of the interim injunction is a positive step, but claim it will take time to rebuild the trust of human resources within the organization.
“No matter the eventual outcome of the litigation, it will take time for trust to be rebuilt in our HR processes so that our people feel they can raise concerns safely, without risk of having their information shared publicly,” reads the statement from CPS.
“It’s also important to reiterate that this litigation does not prevent the former employee from sharing her concerns, experiences, or perceptions of the service in an appropriately confidential forum.”
The Calgary Police Commission announced in March there would be an external review on the Calgary police workplace in the wake of the allegations made by Whitney.
