Two North Slave Correctional Complex (NSCC) employees have been fired following a workplace investigation into alleged sexual relationships between an inmate and staff at the Yellowknife jail.
Kelly Canadian, 26, spoke out to News/North in November about dozens of alleged sexual encounters between himself and two NSCC employees. Canadian reported the two staff members to top officials at NSCC around the same time, prompting their suspensions and a pair of probes into the allegations.
“The workplace investigations into the serious allegations made by Mr. Canadian have been completed. The two subjects of the investigation are no longer members of the Corrections Service and are no longer employed by the Government of the Northwest Territories,” stated Martin Goldney, deputy Minister of the Department of Justice, in an email issued to media Thursday.
The dismissal of the employees comes on the heels of a $1.2-million claim filed last week on behalf of Canadian against the GNWT, the operators of Corrections Service and NSCC. The statement of claim focuses on “serious systemic” shortfalls of the institution, but names one of the now fired employees.
The former employee is not facing criminal charges.
Canadian, represented by civil lawyer Steven Cooper, is seeking $1,250,000 in total damages from the territorial government, alleging he suffered “mental anguish,” “humiliation, embarrassment and betrayal,” after the NSCC employee used his position of trust and authority to “violate” him “physically, sexually, emotionally and spiritually,” 30 to 40 times over the course of three sentences between February 2016 and May 2017.
The GNWT has 30 days to respond to the claim.