Dear Editor, and to the Mayor and Council of Fort St James,
According to the latest news reports, the Spaniard’s Bay City Council has offered a public apology to Brenda Seymour, the female fire fighter who recently went public with allegations of sexual harassment she experienced while working as a fire fighter with her local volunteer fire department.
It has been 2 ∏ years since I and Lisa Button, both of us lieutenants with the Ft St James Fire Department at the time, filed our complaints with the District of Fort St James alleging sexual harassment against our then fire chief, Robert Bennett.
Since that time our allegations have been substantiated, both by an independent outside investigator hired by the District, and subsequently by an RCMP investigation that resulted in three charges of criminal sexual assault against Mr. Bennett.
The third woman involved being Joy Reierson, is also a fire fighter with the department. Mr. Bennett was convicted on all three counts in January of 2015. He is currently appealing his conviction.
So here is my question to you, Mr Mayor and Council:
Where is our apology?
Do we not deserve one? Or do we only deserve more of your silence?
Kirstin Rudolph