Officer defends discrimination claim against city police
For years, a highly experienced Windsor Police Service staff sergeant has relentlessly pursued her claims of being unjustly overlooked for promotion. Unsatisfied her concerns were addressed internally, Christine Bissonnette triggered a Human Rights Tribunal hearing that began last fall regarding a series of workplace-related rights complaints that date back to 2015 and allege gender bias, discrimination and harassment within the police department.
Several hearing dates so far featured Bissonnette presenting evidence and alleging that a “blue code of silence” exists within the department.
Her initial tribunal submissions provided a trail of concerns on being overlooked for promotion to inspector in 2015. She scored last among candidates — all the others were males — following an interview process, despite “having more experience, qualifications and no issues” regarding her work performance during her previous 28 years in the police department at the time she applied.
The hearing resumed this week and on Wednesday the officer faced cross-examination by the police service’s lawyer Suzanne Porter. Meanwhile, Bissonnette has also launched a second tribunal action accusing police administrators of once again shunning her application for another job posting: this time in 2018 when the police service was looking for two deputy chiefs.
Current deputy chiefs Brad Hill and Pam Mizuno were ultimately hired. Bissonette’s application was dismissed in the early stages by a hiring firm retained to handle the hiring process.
In her latest claim, which began with an opening tribunal statement last Friday, Bissonette alleges she was discriminated against due to her ongoing human rights actions against the department. She also believes the job’s qualifications were changed soon after she submitted her application so that only applicants with a rank of inspector or higher would be considered.
The officer has detailed her extensive police department resume that included being the service’s first polygraph examiner, the first woman assigned as executive officer to the chief in 2012 and the first female staff sergeant in charge of the professional standards branch. She also listed several job-related training courses she’d completed. Bissonnette alleges the recruiting firm was retained only after she applied, since one had never previously been retained to hire a deputy chief. The firm was utilized for “the appearance of fairness” and “discriminatory practices toward me were continued in violation of the code,” she said. Bissonette alleges that Mayor Drew Dilkens, as chairman of the police services board, was the “sole communicator” in hiring of the recruiting firm.
She contends her qualifications, previous job roles and being “discipline free” through her entire Windsor police career made her the best candidate — among six — for one of the two deputy chief jobs.
Still, others with less experience and qualifications “were advanced over me,” especially after she began pursuing her human right tribunal case, Bissonette said. She further alleges Mizuno’s promotion to deputy chief was “facilitated” by her human rights tribunal actions against the department to negate her claims of gender bias.
Porter, on behalf of the police service, has not yet had a chance to address Bissonnette’s latest allegations during the hearings. The lawyer only began on Wednesday to cross-examine Bissonnette about her initial tribunal case. During her questioning, Porter attempted to show the officer was often promoted, up until 2012, as evidenced by her being appointed executive officer to the chief. The lawyer detailed how Bissonnette was competing with equally qualified candidates for subsequent job openings. She took issue with Bissonnette characterizing the process as “charade” when others were promoted instead of her. “You have no evidence to support that,” Porter said. “I’m going to suggest that’s pure speculation on your part.”
Porter also confronted Bissonnette about repeatedly secretly recording conversations with superiors when she confronted them about losing out on promotions to others. One such recording was of a 2013 conversation with then-Deputy Chief Rick Derus. There were also recordings of her conversations with an inspector and a superintendent a couple of years later.
The lawyer suggested that these hidden recordings may have violated the Criminal Code officer’s or at the very least contravened the police service’s policies. “I disagree,” Bissonette responded. “As an officer for 30 years, I was always aware I could be recorded at any time. There could always be someone with a camera, so I conducted myself that way and never had any problem with people recording anything I say.”
The tribunal will take a lengthy hiatus with no future dates scheduled until September.
You have no evidence to support that. I’m going to suggest that’s pure speculation on your part.