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Lawsuit

Ex-staffer suing Premier’s office for wrongful dismissal after alleging sexual harassment

Oct 27, 2021 | 5:50 PM

A former senior political staffer is suing the office of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney for allegedly failing to act on a complaint of sex harassment in the workplace.

Ariella Kimmel says in a statement of claim that the premier’s office failed to act on her complaint for months, then fired her.

Kimmel was a chief of staff in Alberta’s jobs ministry when she says she attended a drinks get-together in a minister’s office a year ago.

In the lawsuit, Kimmel alleges a senior health employee made a demeaning sexual comment to one of her female staff, causing the woman embarrassment and humiliation.

Kimmel says in the suit that she tried and failed to get the issue addressed by the premier’s office and was the subject of malicious gossip and anonymous social media attacks before being fired.

In the legislature Wednesday, Kenney said his office took action when it heard about the inappropriate comments, and that the staffer who made them is no longer with the government.

(The Canadian Press)