The City of Leduc paid out $9,527,500 in settlements to 155 women in a class-action lawsuit over workplace sexual misconduct.
Those behind the lawsuit say it’s a precedent-setting settlement — that raises the benchmark for recourse for women who experience sexual assault.
It is believed to be the first settlement of a class-action lawsuit involving sexual misconduct and sexual assault at a municipality or fire department in Canada — and involves record-high compensation.
A statement from Rob Martz of Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer, the Calgary law firm representing the women in the case, said the city asked the court to disallow the release of the numbers in January. But the court dismissed that request this week.
“Part of the point of class actions is to address the entirety of what has occurred. So I think it’s important, in that context, for these numbers to be out there,” Martz said in an interview with CBC News.
Plaintiffs received between $10,000 and $285,000 based on an assessment of the harm they’d suffered.
Martz said the plaintiffs had a strong case, allowing for higher individual settlements than those seen for similar cases.
“It’s important to keep driving those settlements higher — they’re still too low. And hopefully, this case keeps moving things forward in that direction,” Martz said.
Christa Steele and Mindy Smith filed the lawsuit in 2022, alleging systemic negligence and breaches of their Charter rights at Leduc Fire Services. They later amended the claim to add other city employees.
Steele said she knew what happened to her wasn’t an isolated experience, but couldn’t have predicted how many would come forward.
“It’s heartbreaking, but it wasn’t really a surprise. Knowing the city that I worked in for 20 years, I knew it wasn’t just me.”
She said having the numbers of the case public was an important step for accountability and ensuring steps are taken to make workplaces safer for women.
“It takes a lot of courage to do this and it is validating to have that part publicized,” she said. “It educates the public that yes, this is happening. This isn’t just two women, it’s 155 women — which is significant.”
In a statement, the City of Leduc said while the details of the lawsuit may be unsettling, the settlement will spur change.
It has adopted a number of new programs and policies it said will prevent similar situations from happening in the future.
“We acknowledge the profound impact that this matter has had. We have learned from this experience and are continuing to move forward in a way that honours our commitment to a respectful and safe environment for all.”
It added that residents will not bear the cost of the settlement, as legal and claims costs were paid through insurance.
