VPD, chief spokesman face lawsuit alleging bullying, harassment

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The former head of public relations for the Vancouver Police Department alleges she was forced to quit because of harassment, bullying and discrimination based on her sex and ethnicity by the VPD’s high profile spokesman and others, according to a lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court.

Sharmini Dee alleges she faced almost daily harassment by Sgt. Steve Addison, who is one of the public faces of the force, and “as a direct consequence of the abuse on or about June 6, 2024,” she was forced to resign.

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She is suing for wrongful dismissal. Along with Addison, the defendants named are the City of Vancouver, and B.C.’s attorney general and solicitor general. The VPD didn’t immediately respond to a Postmedia request for comment. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Dee wasn’t an officer, but as director of public affairs she supervised officers, such as Addison, who reported to her. Dee reported directly to VPD Chief Adam Palmer.

“Due to the systemic culture of gender and racially based harassment and discrimination in the VPD, the plaintiff was ostracized, belittled and humiliated and her career advancement prospects limited,” the lawsuit alleges.

Dee also alleges there was a “culture of pervasive privacy violation” at the VPD.

The lawsuit alleges a list of “almost daily” harassment by Addison specifically, alleging he was rude and disrespectful to her in private and in front of others, including rolling his eyes, making faces and interrupting her while she spoke at meetings, threatened and intimidated her, disregarded the chain of command, told her she wasn’t suited to the job and would fail, would cut her out of discussions, and withheld information from her on issues she was responsible for.

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Addison and others made frequent “sexually explicit comments” and dismissed her ability to perform her duties, the lawsuit alleges.

Addison “argued that her job should have been given to him,” she alleges.

She also alleges her “supervisors and others in the VPD administration failed or neglected to follow the law and contractual duties “to provide a workplace free of gender and racial harassment and bullying.”

She alleges Addison had previously harassed and bullied other female members of the public affairs department and was never disciplined or told such behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated.

Dee said when she complained to VPD administration, she was told “she needed to make accommodations for Addison while he adapted” to her being his supervisor.

Whenever she complained to VPD management about the sex-based harassment, it led to “retaliatory abuse” from others, including accusations of her not being a “team player,” which made it difficult for her to do her job, according to the lawsuit.

Dee had requested Addison be reassigned to another department and that wasn’t done because “VPD put its own interests and those of Addison” before hers, it alleged.

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The VPD also failed to provide her any updates on its investigation into her complaints. She said Addison was given a copy of her complaints and she hasn’t been provided with his reply.

She alleges the “systemic and persistent gender-based harassment and discrimination by Addison and other VPD officers … demeaned” her and limited her career.

She suffered “serious physical and psychological injuries,” including “major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder and post traumatic stress disorder,” and is seeking damages for that as well as for out-of-pocket expenses and loss of past and future earning capacity, it said.

The claim says the city, the attorney general and the solicitor general have a duty to provide safe workplace environments, provide Dee with equal access to files and tasks that her male colleagues receive and establish and enforce policies, procedures, codes of conduct and guidelines to ensure she would be from free from harassment.

They also have a duty to “educate and train VPD employees to promote a universal understanding that gender and sexual orientation-based harassment and discrimination in the workplace are harmful and will not be tolerated,” the claim said.

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They were negligent for not doing so, it said.

“The wrongful conduct of Addison, condoned by the VPD, … made the plaintiff’s continuing employment impossible and amounts to constructive dismissal,” the lawsuit says.

VPD spokeswoman Const. Tania Visintin said in an email that Addison has not been reassigned and continues in his role of spokesman. The VPD will not comment further.

Requests for comment were left with the City of Vancouver, the attorney general and the solicitor general.

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