Richmond Hill planner sues the town
Ana Bassios says she was terminated from her position without cause
Richmond Hill’s former planning commissioner is suing the town and four individuals — the chief administrative officer and three councillors — for almost $2 million in the wake of her abrupt dismissal one year ago.
Ana Bassios, 55, worked for the town beginning in 2006 and held the position of commissioner of planning and regulatory services when she was dismissed in May 2017.
At the time, council was tight-lipped about the reasons for the firing, but several councillors made it clear they weren’t happy with the decision made in private session.
The 28-page statement of claim, filed Aug. 29, 2017, says Bassios seeks $740,000 in damages from the municipality of Richmond Hill, including $440,000 for wrongful dismissal, $100,000 for harassment, $100,000 for the intentional infliction of mental suffering and $100,000 for violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The lawsuit is also claiming $1.25 million in damages against CAO Neil Garbe, Ward 1 Councillor Greg Beros, Ward 2 Councillor Tom Muench and Regional Councillor Vito Spatafora.
The amount includes $250,000 for each of abuse of public office, intentional interference with economic relations and conspiracy; $100,000 for each of ha- rassment, the intentional infliction of mental suffering and punitive damages; and damages at large for breach of contract, loss of reputation, bad faith and injured feelings.
The lawsuit accuses them of trying to usurp legal requirements to secure zoning and subdivision approvals for certain developers, recommending council approve the sale of land to further the special interests of developers. It also refers to defendants bullying, mobbing, intimidation and publicly admonishing town staff.
Bassios notified the defendants of her intention to file a formal workplace harassment complaint and, one day later, Garbe initiated and arranged a meeting of council for the purpose of terminating her without cause, according to the statement of claim.
The statement of defence filed by the defendants called Bassios’s claims “exaggerated, excessive and remote. The statement said a majority of town councillors had already lost confidence in Bassios by January 2017, “if not much earlier,” and had serious concerns about her ability to perform her duties.