He was dubbed a 'lazy Black man' at work
A correctional officer has received $964,000 damages award after BC’s Human Rights Tribunal ruled that he was targeted for simply being black. Levan Francis was employed at a pre-trial centre in British Columbia and, despite having a good record, was the subjected to ongoing discrimination.
Speaking at the ruling, Tribunal Chair Diana Juricevic claimed Francis was targeted after he submitted a complaint – and was labelled as a ‘lazy Black man’. Francis’s lawyer claims he was due $1.2 million in lost wages, after his instances at work led to him developing depression and post-traumatic stress.
Juricevic concurred that Francis’ mental health issues has been worsened by events after his leaving the workplace.
The breakdown of the almost $1 million included; $264,060 for lost wages, $176,000 compensation for ‘injury to dignity’, $431,600 for loss of future earnings, and $26,000 for expenses, according to CBC.
In an email seen by the CBC, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said: “Racism has no place in our province–or within the B.C. Public Service, which includes B.C. Corrections. All people deserve to feel safe and respected in their workplace, and government encourages employees who experience or witness discrimination to speak up.
“As a government we recognize our duty to set an example and we know there is significant work to do to address broader issues of systemic racism.”
