Sask. privacy commissioner to weigh in on whistleblower file Tuesday

After being placed on paid suspension in April, Peter Bowden labelled the events around it a “conspiracy.”

Many of the circumstances around the Saskatoon care aide’s case remain shrouded in secrecy following his firing by the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) last week. But a report from the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner, to be released Tuesday morning, could shed some light on a controversial piece of the puzzle.

Bowden claims that allegations of workplace misconduct started popping up against him only after he blew the whistle about under staffing at Oliver Lodge care home, where he worked.

“All these things were being collected and dumped in one day to make it look worse than it really was,” Bowden said Monday in an interview with News Talk Radio. “(It was) very convenient for them to dig up minor problems and to use that to get rid of me; that’s how I see it.”
 
Barbara Cape, president of SEIU-West, says the union is disappointed with the health region’s decision to terminate Bowden. However, she could not shed light on the details as to why he was fired.
 
“The Saskatoon Health Region as an employer has set out some fairly steep conditions of confidentiality regarding supporting documentation for the decision to terminate. And because of those conditions, we are not able to comment on Mr. Bowden’s termination,” Cape said.

After his suspension came down, however, a few details about the allegations against Bowden were sent to several media outlets, (including News Talk) from the office of Premier Brad Wall. Bowden filed an appeal to the privacy commissioner, whose investigation report will be released Tuesday.

Brad Wall has said information about Bowden’s suspension was sent to media only as background, but admitted this was a lapse of judgement on behalf of his communications chief Kathy Young.

Saskatoon Health Region CEO Dan Florizone maintains that Bowden’s suspension and termination had nothing to do with his blowing the whistle.

– With files from News Talk’s Francois Biber

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