Firefighter says he was intimidated

By Dan Hilborn
Published Sept. 28, 2004


The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal received two more complaints about the Burnaby fire department this week.

Capt. Garry Wilson, a 25-year veteran of the department, filed a Section 43 complaint on Thursday alleging that he has been intimidated and threatened with the loss of promotion.

And on Sept. 7, Capt. Parry Talkarri filed his own human rights complaint, alleging that he witnessed sexual harassment against colleague Boni Prokopetz.

While the Burnaby NOW was unable to reach Talkarri, Wilson said his complaint was made necessary because of the long delays in resolving the original harassment complaint filed by Prokopetz in July.

"I support her right to file a complaint with the city," Wilson said Friday morning.

"It's not that I support her allegations - I can't substantiate those - but she has a right to make them and there's a process that needs to be followed," he said.

Wilson said he became involved in the case last January when Prokopetz first divulged to him the allegation that she was sexually assaulted by a senior member of the department.

"I was the first person to which she disclosed the alleged incident," Wilson said. "My course of action was to be discrete and not let this out. ... I felt it was not fair to allow those rumours to run rampant."

Since the harassment case first went public, Wilson said he has twice been advised that his involvement could stymie his potential for advancement. The first was a verbal caution from a union official, and the second was an "indirect" comment from a fire chief.

"What was conveyed to me was that there will be a promotion to a staff officer position, which I was in the running for, and my perceived involvement in the Prokopetz issue would be upsetting...."

Wilson said the messages he received were in conflict with the city's official request that he respond to questions by city lawyer Patricia Janzen, who was formally investigating Prokopetz's allegations.

"I'm standing up for the process, not the person, but for a process," he said. "If a person comes up and says 'Hey, I have a problem and a complaint,' we have to allow that to happen," he said. "If we intimidate them and beat them into the ground, we may as well not have any rules."

The Burnaby firefighters union announced last week that it is cooperating fully with the investigation into Prokopetz's allegations.

"At this time, the Burnaby Professional Fire Fighters' Union Local 323 does not wish to engage in a media debate regarding the member's complaint as such debate may negatively impact the mediation process or any eventual hearing of the complaint," said the statement, signed on Sept. 1 by union president Michael Hurley. "Burnaby's Professional Fire Fighters are dedicated to saving lives and protecting the property of Burnaby citizens. We serve with honour and pride in our profession."