ELECTION: White Rock mayoral candidate terminated for alleged harassment

WHITE ROCK — With roughly a week to go before voting day, mayoral challenger David Bradshaw is decrying the release of his work history and termination case to the media, saying it has nothing to do with his run for office.

The documents relate to a wrongful dismissal grievance filed by Bradshaw with the B.C. Teachers Federation after he was terminated in 2012 over claims of harassment in the workplace.

Those claims, as recorded in the grievance case, allege Bradshaw told co-worker Cory Anderson he was having “violent thoughts.” When Anderson asked him to define “violent thoughts,” she said he responded by saying “as in postal,” and that he’d start on the second floor and work his way up to the fourth floor.

Bradshaw worked as a counsellor within the BCTF.

A statement sent to the CBC by the BCTF said, "David Bradshaw was employed by the BCTF from 2001 to 2012. In May 2012, he was fired as a consequence of making serious threats against co-workers. Bradshaw launched a grievance, which went to arbitration hearings over a two-year period. The decision was rendered in September 2014, and arbitrator John Kinzie upheld the termination.”

However, Bradshaw wondered why the CBC, who broke the story Tuesday, were pursuing the matter and making it public.

“I’m not exactly sure what it has to do with my running for mayor. Why would I go around telling people I was victimized by an employer?” he said. “There aren’t allegations, there’s one allegation, it came from one person and it was a management representative and she totally invented a story. There’s absolutely zero validity to her allegation and it’s totally unfounded and unproven.”

Bradshaw said during the two-year grievance period he took a polygraph test and passed, while his accuser did not.

“So what does that tell you?” he said.

Bradshaw said he lost his dispute with the BCTF due to his provided legal counsel not following his guidance.

“She refused to defend me the way I wanted to be defended and the way I should have been defended, which was to challenge their (BCTF) lies,” said Bradshaw. “She took a different legal strategy and thought it was going to work but it didn’t.”

According to the decision, Bradshaw was re-instated as an employee in order to continue to collect his claims for sick leave and long-term benefits, but his termination will take effect when he no longer qualifies for benefits.

As a result of the whole ordeal, Bradshaw said he lost $250,000 in salary and benefits for “standing up to the bullies at the BCTF.”

However, Bradshaw says his willingness to fight for what he believes in hasn’t been diminished.

“I understand that the same thing is happening here (in White Rock) and there’s a lot of bullying coming out of city hall,” he explained. “When I’m elected and even during this election, I’m still standing up to bullies. I’ve heard from people that there’s bullying coming out of city hall, not just to the citizens in the community but the people that work there.

“I’m hoping to restore a healthy functioning city hall, for all of council and workers.”

On CKNW Wednesday, Bradshaw suggested that the release of the documents to the media might have been influenced by others involved in the White Rock election.

“I think it is in the interest of the Baldwin campaign that is smearing me at every instance they can,” he said on-air to host Drex.

In response, mayoral incumbent Wayne Baldwin dismissed having anything to do with the information being pushed to the media as “ridiculous.”

“I don’t stoop to that level,” he said. “I think he’s got enough people that are concerned about him in the BCTF camp to deal with that.”

cpoon@thenownewspaper.com