A former West Vancouver police constable who alleges she was sexually harassed is among six female police officers who have filed a lawsuit against 13 cities in BC with their own police departments. The District of West Vancouver is also included in the lawsuit that was filed last week in the BC Supreme Court.
Cary Ryan, who served as a former constable with West Vancouver Police Department, alleges that she was exposed to graphic content and sexually harrased while she was working with WVPD.
“Ms. Ryan was exposed to graphic, misogynistic photographs of a woman on her period, and was routinely exposed to unwanted physical contact and invitations for sex with co-workers,” the lawsuit claims. When she complained, she was asked to drop those complaints.
Ryan is among six female police officers who have filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and discrimination against municipalities with their own police force. Those include West Vancouver, Saanich, Oak Bay, Victoria, Central Saanich, Abbotsford, Delta, Nelson, New Westminster, Port Moody, Surrey and Vancouver.
The plaintiffs allege that “they, and fellow female Officers, were subject to gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination, harassment and bullying by other Officers and management of municipal police forces in British Columbia. The Representative Plaintiffs allege that the Municipal Police Forces and the government authorities responsible for their management failed to fulfill statutory, common law and contractual duties to provide the Representative Plaintiffs and Class Members … with a work environment free of gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination, harassment and bullying.”
None of the allegations have been proven in court and the defendants have yet to file a response.
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