unimaginative2
Senior Member
Fired ex-public servant wins whistle-blower award
MARK HUME
December 12, 2007
The Globe and Mail
VANCOUVER -- Gordon McAdams didn't hesitate when he realized the only way to protect a small population of endangered painted turtles was to violate the oath of secrecy he'd taken as a public servant.
But he never expected the retribution for the action to be so swift.
The government of British Columbia fired him just three days after he filed with the Supreme Court of B.C. an affidavit containing confidential government documents about a road that was going to be built right through a turtle nesting site.
His dismissal came on his last day at work before retiring in 2005. It brought a bitter end to a distinguished 34-year-career during which, among other things, he'd written the government's plans for saving endangered species in the West Kootenays.
Mr. McAdams lost $50,000 in salary and pension benefits when he was fired, but subsequently came to a confidential settlement after filing a union grievance. The final details of the penalty he paid aren't available.
Yesterday, he had reason to smile about his decision, however, when he was given the 2007 Whistleblower Award by the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association.
"To move forward you have to stick your neck out, but it's really nice to have a hard shell," Mr. McAdams said as he accepted the award, which is given annually, if merited, to a Canadian who best represents the ideals of an open society.
Past award winners have included Dr. Nancy Olivieri, who went public about a blood-disorder drug that was having harmful effects, and Corporal Robert Read, an RCMP investigator who revealed attempts to cover up corruption at Canada's diplomatic mission in Hong Kong.
"Obviously I'm very honoured and somewhat overwhelmed by this," Mr. McAdams said as he accepted the award.
He thanked the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association for being "a candle in the darkness" that encourages people to act in the public interest by bringing hidden information into the open.
He said his experience had been stressful and he regretted ending his career on a sour note. But Mr. McAdams said he was proud of his actions.
Asked what advice he'd give to anyone faced with deciding whether to violate conditions of employment in order to reveal the truth, he said: "Look inside yourself. I think you'll know."
The confidential government documents released by Mr. McAdams, who at the time was an environmental manager in Nelson, B.C., helped convince the Supreme Court to stop government plans to build a road through Grohman Narrows Provincial Park.
The documents showed that government biologists had studied the road project and had determined it would bury turtles and their eggs alive.
The minister at the time, Bill Barisoff, had approved a road that benefited a local businessman who wanted a cheaper access route to his property.
Jo-Anna Cowen, who at the time was a lawyer for the West Kootenay Community EcoSociety, said that when Mr. McAdams brought the documents to her attention, she told him they were worthless unless he was prepared to file them in court.
He agreed, knowing there could be repercussions at work.
"He was just going to do the right thing and he made the decision [to release them] on the spot," she said.
Ms. Cowen said the documents proved the minister had committed what the courts termed "an unauthorized exercise of his statutory power."
The road was never built and the turtle pond - located just outside Nelson in south-central B.C. - remains a productive breeding area.
Darrell Evans, executive director of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, said Mr. McAdams's case was "a classic model of whistle-blowing," in which an individual acted in the best interest of the public, even at risk to his own career.
He said people who blow the whistle often face blacklisting in their professions, are harassed at work, or may even get death threats. But people continue to step forward.
"There's something in them that just can't turn a blind eye [to wrongdoing]," he said.
Shane Simpson, an NDP MLA from B.C. who has recently introduced a private member's bill to protect whistle-blowers, said it's clear laws are needed to make sure people like Mr. McAdams don't get punished.
MARK HUME
December 12, 2007
The Globe and Mail
VANCOUVER -- Gordon McAdams didn't hesitate when he realized the only way to protect a small population of endangered painted turtles was to violate the oath of secrecy he'd taken as a public servant.
But he never expected the retribution for the action to be so swift.
The government of British Columbia fired him just three days after he filed with the Supreme Court of B.C. an affidavit containing confidential government documents about a road that was going to be built right through a turtle nesting site.
His dismissal came on his last day at work before retiring in 2005. It brought a bitter end to a distinguished 34-year-career during which, among other things, he'd written the government's plans for saving endangered species in the West Kootenays.
Mr. McAdams lost $50,000 in salary and pension benefits when he was fired, but subsequently came to a confidential settlement after filing a union grievance. The final details of the penalty he paid aren't available.
Yesterday, he had reason to smile about his decision, however, when he was given the 2007 Whistleblower Award by the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association.
"To move forward you have to stick your neck out, but it's really nice to have a hard shell," Mr. McAdams said as he accepted the award, which is given annually, if merited, to a Canadian who best represents the ideals of an open society.
Past award winners have included Dr. Nancy Olivieri, who went public about a blood-disorder drug that was having harmful effects, and Corporal Robert Read, an RCMP investigator who revealed attempts to cover up corruption at Canada's diplomatic mission in Hong Kong.
"Obviously I'm very honoured and somewhat overwhelmed by this," Mr. McAdams said as he accepted the award.
He thanked the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association for being "a candle in the darkness" that encourages people to act in the public interest by bringing hidden information into the open.
He said his experience had been stressful and he regretted ending his career on a sour note. But Mr. McAdams said he was proud of his actions.
Asked what advice he'd give to anyone faced with deciding whether to violate conditions of employment in order to reveal the truth, he said: "Look inside yourself. I think you'll know."
The confidential government documents released by Mr. McAdams, who at the time was an environmental manager in Nelson, B.C., helped convince the Supreme Court to stop government plans to build a road through Grohman Narrows Provincial Park.
The documents showed that government biologists had studied the road project and had determined it would bury turtles and their eggs alive.
The minister at the time, Bill Barisoff, had approved a road that benefited a local businessman who wanted a cheaper access route to his property.
Jo-Anna Cowen, who at the time was a lawyer for the West Kootenay Community EcoSociety, said that when Mr. McAdams brought the documents to her attention, she told him they were worthless unless he was prepared to file them in court.
He agreed, knowing there could be repercussions at work.
"He was just going to do the right thing and he made the decision [to release them] on the spot," she said.
Ms. Cowen said the documents proved the minister had committed what the courts termed "an unauthorized exercise of his statutory power."
The road was never built and the turtle pond - located just outside Nelson in south-central B.C. - remains a productive breeding area.
Darrell Evans, executive director of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, said Mr. McAdams's case was "a classic model of whistle-blowing," in which an individual acted in the best interest of the public, even at risk to his own career.
He said people who blow the whistle often face blacklisting in their professions, are harassed at work, or may even get death threats. But people continue to step forward.
"There's something in them that just can't turn a blind eye [to wrongdoing]," he said.
Shane Simpson, an NDP MLA from B.C. who has recently introduced a private member's bill to protect whistle-blowers, said it's clear laws are needed to make sure people like Mr. McAdams don't get punished.