Latest news with #Leduc
CBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Province obtains court order to recover $144K from agency for client hotel stays
Social Sharing The Alberta government is trying to recover nearly $144,000 in costs from the social service agency that made headlines last year for having its clients placed in hotel rooms after they were discharged from hospital. The province obtained a judgment against the Contentment Social Services Foundation in March after making numerous attempts to contact people involved with the agency last fall. Alberta's former ministry of seniors, community and social Services, now known as Assisted Living and Social Services, outlined the costs in a statement of claim filed in November. They include $82,730 owed to the Park Inn by Radisson in Leduc for room bookings, additional costs and damages, $42,908 to Mainstreet Equity Corporation for apartments the agency rented for clients and $14,569 for Meals on Wheels, which was contracted after the government found clients at the hotel. Contentment Social Services did not file a statement of defence in response. The court judgment also includes costs incurred by the law firm contracted by the government and the process server during the attempts to find officials from Contentment Social Services. CBC News first reported in March 2024 how a stroke patient who was discharged from the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton was placed in a hotel room instead of the long-term care facility he thought he was going to. His wife said he had difficulties getting to the washroom in his wheelchair and that he was being fed fast food. The province stepped in to help 39 people under the care of Contentment Social Services find appropriate places to live. The Alberta government conducted investigations into the matter and evidence of possible criminal fraud was forwarded to Edmonton Police. In March, Shum Shabat Yousouf, the former director of Contentment Social Services, was charged with fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Leduc man celebrating 50 years on the job with no plans of quitting
After 50 years of working at Leduc Chrysler, Rolly Olsen was awarded the key to the city, but he doesn't plan on retiring any time soon.
National Post
06-05-2025
- National Post
Alberta city pays over $9.5M to 155 women in class-action lawsuit
LEDUC, Alta. — A law firm representing women who sued an Alberta municipality over claims of sexual assault, harassment and discrimination says over $9.5 million has been paid out to 155 women whose claims were approved in a settlement. Article content Article content Two female firefighters with the Leduc fire department, south of Edmonton, launched the class-action lawsuit in 2022 claiming they were subject to physical and sexual assault, harassment and bullying while on the job. Article content Article content In a news release late Monday, the law firm of Burnett, Duckworth & Palmer LLP claims the settlement is 'one of the highest per person payouts in Canadian legal history for workplace sexual misconduct.' Article content Article content The class action sought damages for women who had worked at the City of Leduc between 2002 and 2023, and the Court of King's Bench approved a settlement to provide compensation to the women in 2023. Article content In January 2024, Leduc's mayor apologized to the women who worked at the City of Leduc. Article content In a statement on its website, the municipality says the settlement has provided the means to move forward with what it calls 'critical change initiatives,' which it says include psychological health and safety initiatives, mandatory training and workplace investigation training. Article content 'We acknowledge the profound impact that this matter has had. We have learned from this experience and are continuing to move forward in a way that honours our commitment to a respectful and safe environment for all. This remains central to everything we do,' the city's statement says. Article content It also notes Leduc residents will not shoulder the cost of the settlement, explaining that legal and claims costs are covered by insurance and the payment 'will have no effect on future property taxes.' Article content Article content 'When I started this journey, my goal was simple: to bring the truth to light. Because the truth, above all else, is what brings validation. It's what gives people peace,' former Leduc firefighter and plaintiff Christa Steele said in the law firm's news release. Article content Article content 'I am grateful that we set a precedent and made history. We left a mark and I am proud of what we accomplished together.' Article content Its statement says the plaintiffs asked the court's permission in January to disclose the total number of claimants and the amounts paid out, but it says the City of Leduc opposed the move. At the end of March, it says the court dismissed the city's request and allowed the numbers to be made public. Article content
CBC
06-05-2025
- CBC
City of Leduc pays out $9.5M for workplace sexual misconduct class-action lawsuit
Social Sharing The City of Leduc paid out $9,527,500 in settlements to 155 women in a class-action lawsuit over workplace sexual misconduct. Those behind the lawsuit say it's a precedent-setting settlement — that raises the benchmark for recourse for women who experience sexual assault. It is believed to be the first settlement of a class-action lawsuit involving sexual misconduct and sexual assault at a municipality or fire department in Canada — and involves record-high compensation. A statement from Rob Martz of Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer, the Calgary law firm representing the women in the case, said the city asked the court to disallow the release of the numbers in January. But the court dismissed that request this week. "Part of the point of class actions is to address the entirety of what has occurred. So I think it's important, in that context, for these numbers to be out there," Martz said in an interview with CBC News. Plaintiffs received between $10,000 and $285,000 based on an assessment of the harm they'd suffered. Martz said the plaintiffs had a strong case, allowing for higher individual settlements than those seen for similar cases. "It's important to keep driving those settlements higher — they're still too low. And hopefully, this case keeps moving things forward in that direction," Martz said. Christa Steele and Mindy Smith filed the lawsuit in 2022, alleging systemic negligence and breaches of their Charter rights at Leduc Fire Services. They later amended the claim to add other city employees. Steele said she knew what happened to her wasn't an isolated experience, but couldn't have predicted how many would come forward. "It's heartbreaking, but it wasn't really a surprise. Knowing the city that I worked in for 20 years, I knew it wasn't just me." She said having the numbers of the case public was an important step for accountability and ensuring steps are taken to make workplaces safer for women. "It takes a lot of courage to do this and it is validating to have that part publicized," she said. "It educates the public that yes, this is happening. This isn't just two women, it's 155 women — which is significant." In a statement, the City of Leduc said while the details of the lawsuit may be unsettling, the settlement will spur change. It has adopted a number of new programs and policies it said will prevent similar situations from happening in the future. "We acknowledge the profound impact that this matter has had. We have learned from this experience and are continuing to move forward in a way that honours our commitment to a respectful and safe environment for all."
CTV News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Québec Solidaire introduces bill for the right to work from home
Québec Solidaire is tabling a bill Thursday to regulate a person's right to work from home as part of a 'hybrid' model. In a press briefing, the party's labour critic, Alexandre Leduc, pointed out that there's an issue of 'balance' when it comes to hybrid work. 'As we speak, it's 100 per cent the decision of the boss. The boss can decide it's 100 per cent work from home, and the next morning, he can decide it's 100 per cent work from the office,' he said. 'We think it's not a good policy. You should have balance between the worker and the boss.' Leduc rebuffed any suggestion that workers should instead be given the power to work from home full time. 'We are offering a hybrid method, so the workers…can ask to work from home from a hybrid perspective,' he explained. If the request is refused, 'for bad reasons,' according to Leduc, workers would have the right to file a complaint with the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). 'The aim is not to create squabbles throughout Quebec,' he said, 'but to reach a rapid decision in these situations, in the same way as for all other labour standards.' The party also wants to ban the use of remote monitoring software by employers. 'It's bad management practice, and would probably be considered harassment: nobody wants their boss watching them through a screen all the time,' he said. Leduc notes that the bill would not apply to jobs that require workers to be on location full time, such as nurses or bus drivers. Wednesday, Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal told The Canadian Press she deplored the fact that 'employers' previous reticence about this way of working has returned.' 'This leads to conflicts where employers want people to return to their place of work more exercise more control,' she said. Work from home and hybrid models became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced workers across the world into isolation to avoid spreading the disease. As for Québec Solidaire's bill, those tabled in the National Assembly by opposition parties are rarely 'called upon' by the government. That is, they are rarely debated and studied in parliamentary committees before being adopted. Though any member of parliament is allowed to table a bill, in practice, legislative initiative is the prerogative of the government, which decides, with its house leader, how to proceed. With files from The Canadian Press.
