Note that at the moment Ghomeshi is taking the CBC to court. And is not going after the Star, which would mean that these statements could be legally entered on the record and the identity of the women kept out of the public record. If the statements were really false, the first legal target would definitely be the Star.
... By going after the CBC, these women's identities would not be protected if they made any sworn statements. The issue is not the allegations of abuse. The issue with the CBC contract is dismissal due to moral turpitude. Intimidation of victims is the hammer of the serial sexual abuser. It isn't just a question of sex, often the abuser craves the power of control. Fear of being identified, the emotional wears on a submissive victim a lot more strongly than that of a dominant personality. Dominants are not afraid to use their fame. At the moment, the CBC must justify the use of the turpitude clause of employment. Given the world is on Ghomeshi's side at the moment, it seems unfair for everyone involved.
... While role playing isn't wrongful, immoral, in itself the problem with the role play of BDSM is fertile ground for the serial sexual abuser. The people under control are likely to be more passive and submissive than the average person. They submit to control very easily and the predatory abuser knows that. People with social status possess immeasurable power. Its something called reputation. And reputation for those that have it, is a tool of control.
... Ghomeshi is in a precarious situation. He could've escaped under the camouflage of personal issues. And re-emerged with another great job elsewhere.That's the Catholic Church strategy. Instead he decided to use the Conrad Black strategy of direct confrontation. Its a terrible situation for an innocent person to be in. There is no strategy that really works.
... Blaming the unnamed aggrieved lover is for every sense of the word, lame. Angry ex-lovers tend to be anything but anonymous. Even the docile submissive ones kick the garbage can.
--------------------------------
Well that's at the moment. The problem with the Star's material is that it would be a matter of truth. In the CBC's case, the issue is moral turpitude. The Star material proves something far more serious than a whacko sex life. It may very well prove serial assault/abuse. Indeed if Ghomeshi pressed the Star it might trigger the victims to pursue a path of criminal prosecution. If I were the Crown Attorney I would be furiously trying to gather that information to
... By going after the CBC exclusively in a civil matter, probably means that the plaintiff, can exclude introduction of the Star evidence since it isn't relevant to the vengeful ex lover . Whereas it is very likely if he and his advisers went after the Star since the action would include criminality all the CBC material can be introduced.
... Also the Star can protect its witnesses identity. Its the disclosure of the victim's identity that provides the greatest protection for Ghomeshi. Its the hammer for silence. A judge in the Star defence would protect the identities of the victims. And not likely the same protection for any CBC witnesses since it is a case of reputation not criminality.
... The present challenge for the CBC lawyers is to make sure that the Star material is part of its case.
Dolly. Its simple. The people in the burbs feel alienated. The TTC has entered a phase of operational disaster. Anyone who has been riding the subway east of Vic Park in off peak hours gets the thrill of being on a virtually empty machine.
... Subways really aren't needed in Scarborough. Its city plan isn't conducive to having any subways. It is a place that needs better bus service, better bus scheduling and better timing. Desperate politicians want subways because they can get votes. Toronto residents have been sold a bill of goods.
... People honestly believe that more subways are the answer because it eliminates it. People refuse to understand one outstanding fact that there isn't a subway or LRT system in the world that solves the traffic gridlock.
... Some candidates were citing all these cities as examples of good subway systems. That part is true. But if one actually researches the story, every one of those cities suffer from traffic gridlock. And one of Ford's favorite example, that of Madrid, well if you google the words 'Madrid traffic density' you will find that the focus of Madrid is to improve the surface infrastructure, nothing about expanding the subway system.
... London has probably the best underground system in the world, but still suffers from traffic gridlock. The only way the city alleviated the car crush was to restrict the numbers of cars in their city core.
... Etobicoke residents and many of the Scarborough residents who have cars want subways because they actually think that other drivers will start using newly built subways versus driving a car leaving open surface roads. The problem is that every other driver thinks exactly the same thing. It means Billions of tax money spent on little reward.
... Tory Mayor Tory wants Smart Track. Under his thesis the QE and Gardiner should be traffic free due to the presence of the Lakeshore Go Train. Message to Tory.
A threat to Canada???? Whow that's like over the top a bit. Its definitely a threat to the company called Tim Horton's. It should be pointed out that this is the "market" in action. Now companies are like people. They are born. They die.
Yes the company will lose workers and office staff. This isn't the first time a bunch of callous butted pansy investors take the money and run abandoning the people that created their wealth by their sweat and toil. Its all the fault of the unions. Everyone knows that.
......
Jian Ghomeshi created ‘environment of tyranny’
For a 27-year-old journalism-school graduate, it was the perfect job, helping build and produce a brand-new, national show on CBC Radio with Jian Ghomeshi, a reportedly “demanding,” but respected host.
So when the young producer heard lurid stories back in 2007 about Mr. Ghomeshi’s private life — including accounts even then of his hitting and choking dates — she wrote it off as merely kinky behaviour and pushed ahead.
The woman did assist in the birth of one of the network’s most popular and acclaimed programs but, she recounted in a lengthy interview Thursday, the next three years on Q were hellish.
It was marked by alternating charm, emotional “cruelty” and sexual harassment from Mr. Ghomeshi — and a shrug of the shoulders from her manager when she complained about the host’s behaviour, charged the ex-producer.
“We were always on pins and needles, and we were always scared,” she said. “Jian had created this environment of tyranny, no one was standing up to him, everyone enabled his behaviour.”
Related
Christie Blatchford on Jian Ghomeshi: Proving someone’s guilt is bloody difficult, and so it should be
Jian Ghomeshi allegations leads Police Chief Bill Blair to encourage sexual assault victims to come forward
Robyn Urback: The dam breaks on Jian Ghomeshi
When in 2010 she revealed to the show’s executive producer that the host had said he wanted to “hate f—” her, and had groped her buttocks, the manager suggested there was no point confronting Mr. Ghomeshi about his actions, the woman said.
“[The executive producer's] comment to me was …’He’s never going to change, you’re a malleable person, let’s talk about how you can make this a less toxic work environment for you,” the woman recalled. “No one was going to talk to Jian, he was too big. The show was a f—-ing juggernaut at that point. His face and name were inextricably linked with the brand of Q.”
The woman, now 35, also said she observed some unusual dating strategies by Mr. Ghomeshi. He would search for messages about him posted on Twitter or Facebook by women who appeared attractive, then contacted them directly, she said.
“He did this every single night,” the former producer said. “He was soliciting non stop. It was his playground.”
Like many of the women who have come out this week with allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Ghomeshi, the ex-CBC employee said she was not willing to have her name published, fearful of backlash on social media, and from the Q star himself.
Neither Mr. Ghomeshi’s lawyer nor his publicist responded to requests for comment Thursday on the producer’s allegations.
We were always on pins and needles, and we were always scared. Jian had created this environment of tyranny, no one was standing up to him, everyone enabled his behaviour
The show’s executive producer also did not respond to questions about his meeting with her.
None of the allegations against Mr. Ghomeshi have been proven in court and he has not been charged with any crime.
Mr. Ghomeshi was fired by the CBC on Sunday, the public broadcaster saying only that it had received information that made it impossible to continue employing him.
The Q host responded hours later with a lengthy statement on Facebook, revealing that he engaged in “rough sex,” but did so only with consenting partners. He said a jilted ex-girlfriend was behind an attempt to publicly accuse him of sexual abuse, and that the CBC dismissed him because it feared negative publicity around his private life.
Since then, eight women — only one of them revealing her identity — have spoken out through stories in the Toronto Star, saying that Mr. Ghomeshi had punched, slapped or choked them, without their consent. The Star also quoted the ex-Q producer about her workplace sexual harassment charges.
On Thursday, a ninth woman’s story appeared on the Huffington Post Canada website. Reva Seth, a lawyer, said she met Mr. Ghomeshi at a supermarket in 2002 and that one night at his home, they began kissing and he became “super angry,” wrapped his hand around her throat, pulled down her pants and “violently” penetrated her with his fingers.
Ms. Seth said she left immediately, but never went to the police, wanting only to continue with her life free of him.
At work, the former Q employee said the host would usher her into his office and talk about personal matters, leading her to think she was a friend and not just his colleague. But he would also play her off against another young, female producer, she said, treating one nicely and the other very unkindly one week, switching roles the next.
She said she and the other employee would take turns crying in the privacy of a nearby disabled washroom.
Then during a script “read-through” meeting when she kept yawning, Mr. Ghomeshi said quietly, “I want to hate f— you to wake you up.” Later he talked of wanting to “grudge f—” her.
Two years later in 2009, he reached out and groped her bottom as she passed his desk, saying “I couldn’t help myself.”
The woman said she put up with the unpleasant work environment for almost three years because she did not want to undermine her first real job, which happened to be on one of the network’s most successful shows.
When she finally did complain to a union rep, he said she could file a formal grievance, take part in mediation with Mr. Ghomeshi or meet more discreetly with the executive producer. Fearful that a grievance or face-to-face confrontation would torpedo her fledgling career, she chose the third option, she said.
Regardless, the ex-producer said she eventually decided to take a leave of absence and try to kick-start new career in the U.S.
National Post
10/31
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Earlier this week, the CBC announced that it was letting go of popular longtime Q host Jian Ghomeshi in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct from a growing number of women. The CBC's decision—and Ghomeshi's own written response, crafted with the help of powerhouse crisis PR firm Navigator that insists all allegations boil down to "extreme" but ultimately consensual kink and a jilted ex—has led to many necessary conversations about consent and BDSM, sexual predation, rape culture, and the law.
It's also, of course, brought up questions around why said crimes would have gone unreported; a legion of Ghomeshi's fans are casting doubt on the claims for largely this reason. Never mind that, statistically, the overwhelming majority of sexual assaults go unreported. Doubt begets doubt.
Which leads me to suggest we talk about the media industry. Let's talk about closed circuits and small ponds.
But first, let's talk about Canada.
It's important to consider the size of Canada and its correspondingly itty-bitty media industry. It means when there are open secrets, many more of us as a whole are complicit in harbouring them.
Canada is not big. It's so decidedly not-big, in fact, that if you meet someone on holiday who asks you, “Oh hey, do you know my friend so-and-so?” when they find out where you live, there's a better than joke-level chance that you have a Facebook friend or two in common. (The last time one of my American high school pals asked a Canadian if he happened to know me, while the two bumped along Washington state in a Craigslist-facilitated rideshare, the other guy turned out to be my Toronto roommate.) Even Toronto gets dubbed Smallronto, a village that just happens to contain almost three million people, where it's hard to feel legitimately anonymous if you hang around long enough. I know a full handful of people who've skipped town completely to avoid running into their exes.
It's important to consider the size of Canada and its correspondingly itty-bitty media industry, of which I—like Mr. Ghomeshi and several of his accusers—happen to be a part. It means when there are open secrets, many more of us as a whole are complicit in harbouring them.
Nobody has expressed this better than Winnipeg Free Press reporter Melissa Martin, who wrote in her personal blog about the trail of cautioned whispers left in Ghomeshi's wake since he entered public life in the '90s. “Do You Know About Jian?” people would ask. Martin admits that, yes, she did.
I “knew about Jian” too, though not to the sordid and gruesome extent that I do now. What I did know was that he was another one of Those Guys who felt entitled to cross boundaries with young women because, frankly, nobody cared to stop him. I wasn't surprised that two of the women to come forward with allegations of harassment against Jian were fellow CBC employees; I'd heard the stories about awkward elevator rides with him in the broadcaster's headquarters and encounters at professional events.
But I also, like so many others, knew and know about Casual Neck Kisser and Intern Chaser and my young female friends in media who keep running checklists of all the older men in positions of professional power to avoid at cocktail parties. I've watched myself age out of one perennial creep's chase list as other, younger, yet-unwarned industry newbies took my place. And I've watched my friends' running checklists—and my own—grow.
The industry is a village, with all its gossip and friendship and open secrets. And while it doesn't take a village to raise a predator, it will to stop one.
It's striking to me that, any time I've visited a journalism school classroom in the past five years, the room has been dominated by young women. Women, I'm convinced, are the future of the industry. You'd never guess it looking at the male names at the top of a majority of print mastheads, or the leading editorial positions for major national outlets that continue to be given to (often unexpected) male candidates instead of the women who would be equally well-suited—and, in some specific cases, much better—to the task. The old boys' club might now be a middle-aged boys' club, but damned if we women are ever going to be given our share of seats at the table (even as the “table” comes to resemble something more like a row of milk crates half-assedly set on the floor).
Sexism and rape culture, of course, exist outside of the media industry. Sexual assault is messy and difficult to prove, fraught with shame on the part of its victims. Ghomeshi's (to paraphrase Navigator's very well-crafted statement) “bitches be crazy” defence is a stance being widely echoed by his supporters. It's no wonder these crimes seldom go reported; as Martin also states in her blog post, I probably wouldn't go through the trouble either.
But, while rape culture exists outside of closed loops and small ponds, there's a greater incentive to keep quiet and play nice where professional decorum and a small community coexist. The industry is a village, with all its gossip and friendship and open secrets. And while it doesn't take a village to raise a predator, it will to stop one.
Kelli Korducki
Chart Attack
10/31
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Yesterday I went into the CBC building and for the first time in the six years that I've been back in Canada, I didn't feel the pang of stress at the thought of running into Jian. Or see the giant image of his smiling face looming above me.
I debated all week whether or not to write this for all the same reasons that most women don't publicly or even privately share similar experiences: judgment, online trolls, the questioning of all your other choices, the accusation that it wasn't that bad, that it was so long ago, and the fact that I don't have the time and ultimately, is there any value in adding my voice or story in a public domain?
The reason I ultimately decided to share this is two-fold: The first is that it shows a pattern that has certainly escalated since I knew him.
Additionally, I feel that while it is exceedingly difficult to publicly put your name forward and open yourself up to all of the accompanying criticism, if you are in the position that you can do so without fearing the ramifications in terms of your family, marriage, personal or professional trauma, then you should do it. Having this conversation can help build a public understanding of the complexity around these issues.
I've been married for 11 years to an incredible man. We have three kids, and I know that I am very lucky to be at that place where this feels possible.
I also decided not to write about this experience abstractly, as I had initially planned. I care deeply about my three boys, who are two, five and eight, and making them understand when they are older that a woman shouldn't be made to feel ashamed of something a man does to her without her consent. I want them to understand that every woman they meet is someone's daughter, mother or sister and they need to remember that. Always.
I first met Jian in the late spring of 2002. I was 26 and after two years with the firm, was just leaving a job as a Bay Street lawyer (ironically at what is now Dentons, the firm Jian has retained for his case). I was about to start a job at Toronto City Hall as well as a Masters in Trade and Competition Law at Osgoode. I share this because one of the themes that his supporters seem to suggest is that the women now accusing him all wanted something professionally from him at the time or were somehow star-struck by him.
Not so with me.
When we met, Jian was hosting a show on CBC called "Play" that I'd never heard of before. I wasn't overly into the music or arts scene and had been too young for the Canadian heyday of his band, Moxy Fruvous. My world at the time was far more about law and politics. The men I tended to date were also engaged on those fronts.
I met Jian at the old Loblaws on the Danforth on a weekend afternoon. We started talking in the water aisle. He was very funny and charming and invited me to come to a taping of the show (which I think was at the old Movenpick restaurant downtown). I never bothered to go to a taping, but I did agree to meet him a few days later for a week night dinner on the Danforth.
We met at the restaurant and it was fun. I remember he thought I was Persian (I'm South Asian) and I think we talked about immigrant parents, sex and shame, as well Love In The Time Of Cholera. After dinner I just walked myself home.
Over the course of the summer we hung out very occasionally. I went to a couple of parties with him and watched a movie at his house. It was all very low key. I was seeing other people and I'm pretty sure he was also.We never talked about anything related to BDSM and had only very casually fooled around -- a bit of kissing.
The incident that changed everything was on a Sunday night. Oddly, I actually remember exactly what I was wearing and the purse I had with me. The evening started out fine. We had a drink, we smoked some pot and we hung out chatting. A while later we started kissing. Suddenly, it was like he became a different person. He was super angry, almost frenzied and disassociated.
I distinctly remember the jarring sense of suddenly being abruptly shaken out of my reverie. I remember thinking "what the fuck is going on here? What's wrong with him?" Jian had his hands around my throat, had pulled down my pants and was aggressively and violently penetrating me with his fingers. When it was over, I got up and it was clear I was really angry. My sexual interactions until then had always been consensual, enjoyable and fun.
I remember he gave me some weird lines about how he couldn't tell if I was actually attracted to him or not, and somehow this was meant to explain his behaviour. I called a cab and I left right away. In the car, I remember feeling sort of stunned, like I couldn't wrap my head around what had just happened. He acted like it was all totally normal and came to the door to watch me go down the stairs and get into the cab.
So why didn't I do anything?
This is the part that I think is so important to understand if we are ever going to change the context in which rape culture and violence against women is perpetuated. I didn't do anything because it didn't seem like there was anything to do.
I hadn't been raped. I had no interest in seeing him again or engaging the police in my life. I just wanted to continue on with my life as it was. And even if I had wanted to do something, as a lawyer, I'm well aware that the scenario was just a "he said/she said" situation. I was aware that I, as a woman who had had a drink or two, shared a joint, had gone to his house willingly and had a sexual past, would be eviscerated. Cultural frameworks on this are powerful.
Equally important, however, was that it also didn't feel like it was worth my effort. Most of my girlfriends had a story about an uncomfortable, sleazy, angry or even scary encounter with a guy. No one really did anything other than avoid them and tell their girlfriends to also stay away. And that's what I did. I never intended to see him again. I felt fine. I was busy and I just put the night and him out of my mind. I ignored his calls and messages over the next few weeks.
It was maybe six or seven weeks later that I next saw him. My mom was in town to attend my call to bar the next day and she was staying with me. We were on our way out when the phone on my desk rang. Without thinking, I picked it up. It was Jian. I told him I couldn't talk since I was going with my mom to get a bottle of wine for a dinner she was attending that night.
A short time later, Jian turned up at the LCBO on the Danforth. I remember being both annoyed, confused and creeped out at him for doing that.
I don't remember much about what was said at the LCBO. We left the store fairly quickly. The next year I got married and moved to the U.K. It was only when I came back to Toronto in 2008 that I realized he was now a huge CBC star. We have never spoken directly since. He once reached out to me on Twitter with a "Hi" and I responded really neutrally, mentioning my three boys.
Last year while my husband was running for the Liberal nomination in Don Valley North, I ran into Jian at a Persian Community event. We were seated at adjacent head tables. His body language made it clear that he recognized me. He seemed angry. I avoided him and we left as soon as it was appropriate to do so.
This morning, I listened to Lucy DeCoutere on The Current sharing her remarkably similar experience and calling for women to not be afraid to tell their own stories and, if they can, share their names. After much thought, I decided to answer her call. I hope it helps in some way.
Huffpost
Reva Seth
10/31
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TORONTO – The emergence of unspecified “graphic” evidence that its former star radio host Jian Ghomeshi had caused physical injury to a person is what prompted the CBC to fire him, the broadcaster said Friday.
In a memo to staff, executive vice-president Heather Conway said it wanted to provide some information to staff ahead of the weekend on the situation involving the co-founder and host of the “Q” program.
“On Thursday, Oct. 23, CBC saw for the first time graphic evidence that Jian had caused physical injury to a woman,” Conway said.
“We determined that Jian’s conduct was a fundamental breach of CBC’s standard of acceptable conduct for any employee.”
Conway said Ghomeshi advised the corporation in the spring that the Toronto Star was looking into allegations by an ex-girlfriend that he had engaged in non-consensual “rough sex.”
READ MORE: Timeline: Sex assault allegations arise after CBC fires Jian Ghomeshi
Ghomeshi has insisted having only consensual “rough sex” with women and said he was the victim of a disgruntled ex. As many as nine women – two named – have since come forward to allege he attacked them physically and sexually without warning. Ghomeshi said Thursday he would meet the allegations “directly.”
None of the allegations has been proven. His lawyer did not return a call Friday.
According to the CBC memo, he also had a letter from two journalists that made allegations about his private life. The Star never contacted the corporation directly about them, she said.
“When directly confronted, Jian firmly denied there was any truth to those allegations,” Conway said.
In early summer, a “Q” employee received a letter from a reporter asking about Ghomeshi’s behaviour, she said. The letter suggested his conduct may have “crossed over” into the workplace.
Conway said an investigation involving CBC’s human resources department followed that included direct interviews with employees and management but did not uncover any complaints of the alleged nature about his behaviour in the workplace.
“We also spoke to Jian at that time and asked him directly if there was any truth to the allegations,” Conway said.
READ MORE: Are there enough services for victims of violence?
Ghomeshi was adamant that he and his lawyers would be able to prove he had done nothing wrong should the Star pursue the allegations and the newspaper did not print a story.
“Based on Jian’s denial, we continued to believe Jian,” Conway said.
The unspecified “graphic evidence” persuaded the corporation that it could no longer accept that position.
However, the Star quoting unnamed sources reported on Friday that Ghomeshi, 47, showed his bosses videos depicting bondage and beating during sexual activities in an effort to show bruising could happen and still be consensual.
Ghomeshi has launched a $55-million lawsuit against the CBC for breach of confidence. He also filed a grievance alleging defamation, a source said.
However, as a contract worker, he could be terminated at any time.
“He could not win that way,” the source said.
The CBC has hired an independent investigator to look at its handling of the situation after at least one former employee said she had complained about his behaviour but nothing substantive was done.
None of Ghomeshi’s accusers has filed any police complaint, something Conservative MP Rob Anders on Friday urged them to do.
Anders said he was “shocked and saddened” no charges had been laid against Ghomeshi.
“At bare minimum, there should be an investigation and sexual assault changes laid,” Anders said in a statement.
“With pictures of bruising or biting, there should also be aggravated sexual assault charges laid.”
© The Canadian Press, 2014
via Global
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You really don't quite get it. This is not a normal legal case. Don't confuse those who engage in sexual role play. The problem is that sexually based abusers tend to thrive in that environment. CBC did not overreact. In fact considering the circumstances, CBC gave Ghomeshi the opportunity to simply walk away under the guise of "personal reasons"'
... He could have simply shut up. Everything kept on the down low. It was Ghomeshi that made it a spectacular issue through his FaceBook page. He was a creature of social media. It will be his undoing.
... This type of crime is almost always a he said, she said or in the case of Gordon Stuckless, he said - he said. It is not unusual for victims to stay silent. It is however very unusual for victims to voluntarily come forward. It often takes years.
... I grew up in a town controlled by a sexual predatory pedophile. And the control he had was unbelievable. The young people knew what he was about from day one. None. And I do mean no one, no adult came forward. The police had records of allegations which were filed and never reopened. But once one victim came forward after twenty years of this toxic environment, in court. Then more came, more came forward, to a point. Still thirty years later there are abuse victims that never did.
... And this is the most difficult, when I had the chance to return to that toxic little town, despite the passage of time that confirmed all the allegations, despite the fact that the predator had been convicted and jailed, there were still people defending him.
Gord C Oct 31
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http://gordc238.blogspot.ca/2009/07/from-macleans-magazine-six-years-ago.html
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Jian Ghomeshi played a high risk, high stakes game. And he lost almost all of it. Now he could lose what may be the last chip he has left to play in his defence — the backing of his union.
The real reasons Jian Ghomeshi is suing the CBC
If Jian Ghomeshi knows, as he must, that his civil case will be quickly dismissed, there appear to be two good reasons to file the suit anyway. Read on
By getting out last Sunday ahead of the news breaking about his alleged violence and harassment against women, Ghomeshi had the opportunity to shape the narrative, all in the legally privileged, libel-proof form of a statement of claim that viciously attacked the CBC.
It was a legally ill-founded claim (since a unionized employee like Ghomeshi has no standing to sue an employer). But it would also have had the impact of scaring off potential complainants who might be intimidated by Ghomeshi’s aggressive litigiousness, not to mention the prospect of being outed — truthfully or not — in his version of events as willing BDSM participants.
But the gamble didn’t pay off. More accusers defiantly stepped forward, his left-wing supporters like Judy Rebick and Elizabeth May scattered for cover, the social media dialogue turned against him, and now he finds himself abandoned even by his crisis-PR firm, Navigator — a sure sign that worse is coming.
Related
Jian Ghomeshi’s CBC lawsuit is hopeless — even if he’s telling the truth
How the Jian Ghomeshi controversy will cost both sides big bucks
Everyone enabled his behaviour': Ghomeshi turned my dream job at Q into hell, young producer says
Under normal circumstances, Ghomeshi would still have one life raft left — the protection of his union, through which he has said he will file a workplace grievance. Except, there, too, he may be out of luck.
Ghomeshi is represented by the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), which has a history of prioritizing respectful workplace environments. If his allegedly victimized CBC co-workers — who are also unionized — or the guild’s political supporters outside of the corporation complain that their interests are being ignored or even violated (by the union supporting an alleged abuser and harasser), the union has the right to refuse to take his case any further.
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Can a union do that? Absolutely. Its only obligation to Ghomeshi is to not act arbitrarily, discriminatorily or in bad faith toward him. If the union makes a reasoned decision that Ghomeshi is toxic, and that representing him does not do justice to its other members, its own principles, or its pocketbook (the arbitration will be very expensive), it can drop him with impunity.
Ghomeshi still won’t be able to go to court. His only recourse would be applying to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, claiming his union has not properly represented him. The statistical history of success in that kind of case is less than 1%. Even if he fails here, he’s still blocked from a court action; such are the nature of union members’ protections in this country.
Although it was unsuccessful, Ghomeshi’s gambit was not inherently foolish. Given the awful allegations he knew were about to emerge, his only hope for retaining his reputation was to cast himself as the unjust victim of an unfounded dismissal and of false allegations. There was a good possibility that it would have worked. Victimized women have great difficulty reporting on their accusers. They would risk social shaming, (“slut-shaming,” as my 18-year-old daughter refers to it) self-doubt, his legal team’s investigations into their sexual background, unwanted potential publicity, media scrutiny, questions as to their motives, and the glare of the cameras. All of those normal problems are dramatically enhanced by the story of consensual BDSM — something your average accuser wouldn’t want their mother reading about.
In my experience, it is extremely difficult to have women come forward with sexual harassment allegations. Invariably, they want promises of confidentiality. Although those promises are often made, they are invariably false. The accused party also has legal protections, including the right to know the name of the accuser and the details of the accusation.
(Notably, the Ghomeshi publicity appears to be helping more women speak up about abuse in the workplace — already this week, my practice has seen a number of women coming forward, inspired by Ghomeshi’s accusers, revealing incidents of harassment, some going back years).
What would I do if I acted for the CBC? I would come at him hard while he’s down. Issue a defence, scripted in a tone more of sorrow than anger, detailing the allegations. Be vocal about supporting women and respect in the workplace as your motivating principles (and in the CBC’s case, make clear your plan to do a better job at cleaning up the problems that have been reportedly allowed to take root). Make it clear that Q has a large group of dedicated, smart, skilled professionals, just as talented as Ghomeshi, and that the show will go on without impact. Continue investigating and remind Canadians how responsive executives were in cutting him loose, even if they may feel compassion for whatever demons may be personally troubling him.
And if I acted for Ghomeshi? I’d make a virtue of necessity. If he can claim to be mentally troubled with, say, a sex addiction, or anger issues, then play on that. Apologize profusely to all those he has hurt, seek help, blame his advisors for the aggressive approach he initially took (against his own better judgment, if he can claim that). Complain that the CBC fired him after they had agreed he would have time off to recover from his disability. This has the advantage of legal human rights protection. It may be the only shot he has left.
Howard Levitt
National Post
Oct 31/14
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Almost been in the same boat, but the serial abuser liked young males. Very similar experience. Many fellow students and kids passed on mutual warnings years before the bastard was caught. It was part of the reason I escaped being a direct victim.
But please, please, please, if my personal experience means anything, its very important to bring support and total compassion for the victims of the abuse. Believe them. Let them know how much you believe them. Listen, and cry with them. I really don't give a fig for Ghomeshi guilty or not guilty. Its the victims and that are the most important and people must rally around them.
comments blogto.com
Nov 3
In response to.
http://www.blogto.com/arts/2014/11/students_were_warned_not_to_intern_at_q_over_ghomeshi/
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Students were warned not to intern at Q over Ghomeshi
Posted by Natalia Manzocco / November 3, 2014
9 Comments
Ghomeshi internsJust how much the media world knew about former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi before he was publicly accused of sexual assault is beginning to come to light. On the same weekend that saw a third woman come forward with allegations, journalism profs at Western University admitted they began warning students away from taking internships at his show, Q, after one intern reported Ghomeshi had repeatedly tried to touch her inappropriately, invite her out for drinks and send her flirty text messages.
Another student going through the program two years ago tells the Toronto Star that Q internships were considered "off limits" due to Ghomeshi's behaviour. At Carleton University, meanwhile, faculty are reviewing the records of every intern they ever sent to Q, on the strength of tweets from the now-infamous @bigearsteddy Twitter account that accuse Ghomeshi of assaulting Carleton media students, and a Q producer told Canadaland this weekend that they were well aware of Ghomeshi's behaviour.
A former classmate of Ghomeshi's at York, meanwhile, alleges in a Facebook post that the pattern goes as far back as his school days in 1988. The writer says residence staff allegedly met with all the women in her residence hall to warn them about being near Ghomeshi in co-ed washrooms, stairwells, or at house parties.
In other Ghomeshi news from the weekend, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a glowing profile of the fallen star, Star reporter Kevin Donovan gives the lowdown on one very awkward dinner, and an old video from the Moxy Früvous days will probably make everyone uncomfortable. On the bright side, the Ghomeshi story has started an international conversation about rape culture that has been a long time coming.
BlogTO Monday November 3.
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This is another article about the Ghomeshi affair. Three women finally came forward in this case and the police need three to proceed with any criminal charges.
Old age can be a bitch sometimes. I really don't give a flying anything about people like Ghomeshi, or Stuckless, or Springer, or Mt.Cashel. I really don't care if they are charged, convicted or suitably have their tombstones pissed on by Yorkshire Terriers. The most important thing is the victims.
They are totally guilt free. Listen and believe them. Simply state that you support them.
I've seen what this abuse can do to a small town. Even after the abuse, many people didn't believe the victims. To this day there are still a few in that town that believe that the allegations were false and defend that worm eaten corpse. He's long dead for almost two decades now and people are still suffering from that.
Really, people do make mistakes. But people like this are extremely smart when it comes to picking out likely victims. They rarely error. And always the victims feel crushing guilt, self recrimination, and fear exposure to family, friends, and even the community at large.
You see many people who tend to communicate fearlessly make very bad victims and the predator shuns them. I was never afraid to tell my parents. I told them about a full decade about the abuser in the town but since the predator was smart enough to avoid me.
You know how the guy did it. Very similar to this case. This guy, was a vice principal and had access to all the students records. Two of the victims I know for sure and every other I suspect lived under the same condition. You know Parent - Teacher interviews that happen at least once a year. Well their parents didn't show for the meetings. My parents did show every single time. And if they didn't have a meeting they phoned to ask why. That's all recorded. And that's how he began the sorting process.
The guy was very smart. He managed to have me transferred to another class despite the fact that I should have been in his Grade six class. I didn't even get to go to his cub pack. or Scout Troop. Smart man. His potential victims, earned the right. And all the major organizations in the community supported and believed in him before they believed in their very own kids.
So the kids in that town were left to their own devices. In around 1970 I attended a dance. And we were at the entry doors of a school dance. And we were laughing and doing yacks about this that, I mentioned the guy in a joke. There was a teacher who overheard, the person interjected that I could be taken to court for slander. I knew better. I said go ahead. Nothing came of it. But the abuser sure knew about my attitude. I never did get invited to any of his "parties."
About fifteen years later, in an interview with my good friend, a reporter for the local rag, that very same teacher denied categorically ever having known about the abuser's proclivities. In fact it was a complete surprise. Ya right.
Now I did write as a stringer in the same town in the mid 1980s. Information sort of trickled down. Nothing one can write about, or "prove". The abuser had died apparently. He claimed that there was a ring of more than just one abuser. But after the bugger was run out of town the abuse did stop, I believe. People left for other parts.
Its, what, forty years now passed and after at least one murder, several suicides, broken marriages, domestic violence the damage remains. And that cursed community still protects secrets. There were other victims who never came, nor ever will come forward. And one has a good idea, not a provable idea of who the members of the abuse ring were.
But the victims are first and if they want to keep it a secret that is entirely okay. I don't really know who all the victims are. I never went into that. They are first. How they deal with it, I support. That's the other thing I came to realize, is that while it is entirely therapeutic for some victims to come forward, for many others... no it isn't..
So that is the sort of perpetual damage these serial abusers do to a community or in the CBC case, the CBC. To their credit, when a verifiable evidence did come to their attention the CBC did take immediate action. A few victims are coming forward, and the walls of silence that the abuser had carefully constructed are coming tumbling down.
And like the Mt.Cashel, the Gordon Stuckless scandal, these things seem to have a disturbing consistency and evolution to the story. And one of those consistencies is the circle of potential victims at the bottom of the food chain rallying to protect as many members as it can by gossip. Never ever say that gossip is always a bad thing. When every social structure prevails to support the abuser, and would eat the flagrant angry victim, gossip remains a vital necessary tool of protection.
And this tale of woe. Case to that point.
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David Cooper / Toronto Star file photo
Former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, pictured in 2014, used a CBC-owned smart phone to show managers information that led to his firing, a source has told the Star.
By: Robert Benzie Queen's Park Bureau Chief, Katrina Clarke Staff Reporter, Alyshah Hasham Staff Reporter, Kevin Donovan Investigations, Published on Mon Nov 03 2014
Jian Ghomeshi used a CBC-owned phone to send lewd text messages to women, a source has told the Star.
The public broadcaster believes its ownership of the smart phone refutes the former radio star’s claim that he was fired because of how he conducted himself in his “private life.”
“The contents of that phone belong to the CBC — it’s the CBC’s property,” said a source familiar with? the situation.
The source says Ghomeshi ?lied to CBC management when he was asked “eyeball to eyeball” about allegations of violent sexual behaviour being investigated by the Star.
Ghomeshi showed texts and other material to CBC officials to bolster his claim, but the source said they were so shocked by what they read and saw that it had the opposite effect.
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“(CBC) didn’t know the scope of what they were dealing with,” the source said, adding it is unclear whether CBC information technology staff have begun poring over Ghomeshi’s work email acco?unt for other evidence.
It is also unclear whether police, who announced Friday they are investigating Ghomeshi, are in possession of the phone. Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said police do not discuss details about an investigation.
Asked if CBC turned over the phone to police, spokesman Chuck Thompson told the Star in an emailed statement that, “We are cooperating fully with Toronto Police Services.”
Pugash said he had nothing to add to what was said at a police news conference Saturday, where it was revealed that three women have come forward with allegations against Ghomeshi.
The news comes as a former journalism student and current journalism professor at the University of Western Ontario said that students were cautioned against pursuing internships at Ghomeshi’s popular CBC radio show Q due to concerns about “inappropriate” behaviour toward young women by the now-fired host.
Jeremy Copeland, a journalism lecturer at Western, said the concerns stemmed from a 2012 incident in which Ghomeshi allegedly “prey(ed) on a young grad who wanted to work (at Q).” Because of this, he recently stopped a female student from pursuing an internship at Q.
Students were told two years ago that internships at Q were “off limits” due to concerns about inappropriate behaviour by Ghomeshi, a former Western student told the Star.
Students were not given specifics, but were told that there was concern about “overly flirty” behaviour by Ghomeshi when dealing with female university students, the former student said.
The journalism program did stop sending interns to Q after one intern (a male student) was placed at the show in 2008, said Thomas Carmichael, dean of the faculty of information and media studies at the University of Western Ontario. But he said the reason was to do with the nature of the internship.
“We insist that our interns do entry-level journalism work, and the report on that internship indicated that the student was asked to run everyday errands not connected to journalism,” he said in an email. “Consequently, we decided not to pursue further placements at Q.”
Carmichael did not respond to followup questions about whether concerns about Ghomeshi’s inappropriate behaviour toward female students played a role in stopping internships at Q.
The student involved in the alleged 2012 incident, a recent graduate who shared her story with Copeland and other professors at Western, agreed to speak with the Star on condition of anonymity because she is concerned about a possible negative impact on her career.
She alleges that after she attended a taping of Q at the downtown Toronto studio in Dec. 2012, Ghomeshi inappropriately touched and texted her.
She had asked Q’s executive producer for an invite to a taping, she said. She said she hoped to land a job with CBC.
Seeing a new face in the control room, Ghomeshi invited her into the studio after the show, she said.
Alone in the room, the two chatted about Q and guests Ghomeshi had interviewed. The conversation was friendly and she assumed they were networking — despite a comment about how good she looked, she said.
“I was under the impression . . . he thinks I’m smart, he thinks I’d be a good fit for working at Q,” she said.
When conversation wrapped up, she alleges Ghomeshi said, “Aren’t you going to give me a hug?”
“He gave me a bear hug and he lifted me up,” she said, adding the situation was “weird” but she thought perhaps he was just friendly. She had heard rumours he was flirty, she said.
But when she turned to leave a second time, she alleges Ghomeshi came up behind her, placing his hands on her waist and pressing his body against her backside.
“As I’m walking towards the door, he was behind me, kind of hugging me from behind and walking with me,” she said. “That’s when I thought, whoa, this is kind of a bit much.”
She said she does not know if anyone else witnessed the incident.
As they walked, with Ghomeshi still holding her, he mentioned she should laugh at his jokes, she said.
She left and returned to work, still shaken and unable to focus.
One hour later, she received a text from Ghomeshi asking her to meet up for a “non-work related drink,” she said. He added a winky face — ;) — to the message, she said.
“I didn’t want to date him, but then I thought this would maybe be a good opportunity to speak to him about the industry,” she said, responding by text and telling him a “friendly meet up” would be OK.
“If you could help me get a job that would be cool, too,” she added.
Ghomeshi texted back saying he wasn’t interested in a personal friendship and didn’t want to be used as “conduit to a job,” she said. The text messages stopped shortly after, she said.
In the months to follow, she continued second-guessing her handling of the situation. She wondered if perhaps he had misinterpreted her sarcasm as flirting.
She gave up trying to get a job at Q, she said.
It was only when the Star reported allegations from women against Ghomeshi that she felt a final sense of relief, she said. “Thank God I didn’t agree to meeting up with him,” the woman, now 28, told the Star Sunday.
She now says his behaviour was inappropriate and unacceptable in the workplace, and adds that she told former professors about the incident because she was still friendly with them, not because she expected Western to do anything.
Copeland, who learned about the alleged incident from the graduate, said he finds it “disturbing.”
“For her to go down there and have that happen, have someone abuse his authority and position to hit on her in a very strong way, crossing her boundaries, is unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour.”
Copeland has taught television journalism part-time at Western since 2010, full-time since 2012 and is one of the faculty members who supervises internships.
So when he learned in the fall that a student had listed Q among her top three choices for an internship this coming winter, he brought up his concerns at a faculty meeting to discuss internships, he said. It was agreed that the student should not be placed at Q, he said.
The former student who told the Star that Q was declared “off-limits” said the show had previously been a very popular choice for interns who wanted to get experience in radio. She said that some students had a “fan girl feeling” toward Ghomeshi, who was seen as a “celebrity.”
“Professors had a protective feeling” toward their students, she said. (Copeland had not told students that Q was “off-limits” — the meeting this fall was the first time he raised concerns about Ghomeshi).
Students were not given specifics but were told that there was concern about “overly flirty” behaviour by Ghomeshi when he dealt with female university students, the former student said.
Ghomeshi was fired on Oct. 26, after his CBC bosses saw “graphic evidence that Jian had caused physical injury to a woman,” CBC has said in an internal memo.
Since then the Toronto Star and other media outlets have published the accounts of nine women accusing Ghomeshi of harassment, physical abuse and sexual assault. One of the women, a CBC employee, alleges that on one occasion on his way out of the Q studio, Ghomeshi approached her from behind and cupped her buttocks.
Ghomeshi has said that he will meet the allegations “directly” and has maintained in a Facebook post and through a $55-million lawsuit against the CBC that all his sexual interactions have been consensual.
Other women who allege they were attacked by Ghomeshi continue to come forward. The Star has now heard of incidents dating back to his time as member of the band Moxy Früvous, and more allegations from his time as host of >play on CBC television and from his time as host of Q.
Generally, the women coming forward with new stories allege that Ghomeshi asked them on dates and, without their consent, attacked them, usually by grabbing them around the throat, squeezing their throat and striking them on the face. The Star is continuing to investigate.
In the wake of the allegations — and a recently noticed tweet from April that reads “Hi there @jianghomeshi. Remember louring me to ur house under false pretences? Bruises dont lie. Signed, every female Carleton U media grad” — journalism schools have been going through records of past internships at Q to ensure students were not subjected to any inappropriate behaviour.
No concerns had been flagged about Q internships in the journalism programs at Carleton University and Ryerson University, program heads say. “We have placed interns at Q in the past and we have never had any indication that there was a problem with one of our interns,” said Ivor Shapiro, chair of the Ryerson School of Journalism.
“I’ve spoken to all of our faculty supervisors who supervised internships at the CBC over the past 10 years and nobody had an inkling of a problem.”
“Our school didn’t have a policy, either officially or unofficially, of avoiding field placements at Q,” said Susan Harada, head of the journalism department at Carleton University.
With files from Jacques Gallant
Kevin Donovan can be reached at kdonovan@thestar.cakdonovan @thestar.caEND or 416-312-3503
the Star
Nov 3 2014
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New reports in the Toronto Star and Canadaland podcast detail further allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace by former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi.
Ghomeshi was fired by CBC on Oct. 26, leading him to defend his "tastes in the bedroom" on Facebook and launch a $55-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit. In the days since, several women have made allegations in media reports of sexual and physical abuse as well as workplace harassment. Toronto police have also opened an investigation after three women filed complaints. Now, there are new allegations involving CBC employees, interns and jobseekers.
The Toronto Star reported today that, according to a former student and a journalism professor, Western University J-school students were warned against internships at Ghomeshi’s CBC radio show "Q" due to "concerns about 'inappropriate' behaviour toward young women by the now-fired host."
The dean of Western's journalism school confirmed that students were no longer being sent to "Q," but refused to answer if Ghomeshi's behaviour towards female students was the cause, saying only that "the report on that internship indicated that the student was asked to run everyday errands not connected to journalism."
An anonymous student involved in an alleged 2012 incident told the Star that she was "inappropriately touched and texted" after she had contacted Q's executive producer to attend a taping in hopes of landing a job.
She says Ghomeshi invited her into the studio after the show, commented on her looks and engaged in small talk. She says she thought he might be considering her to work at Q but then "he gave me a bear hug and he lifted me up. As I'm walking towards the door, he was behind me, kind of hugging me from behind and walking with me. That’s when I thought, whoa, this is kind of a bit much."
He later texted her, asking for "non-work-related drink" date but took offence when she inquired about employment. "Thank God I didn't agree to meeting up with him."
Carleton University's journalism program launched an investigation late last week in light of a tweet from April alleging sexual violence involving Ghomeshi and one of their current or former students.
On Monday, journalism officials from both Carleton and Ryerson told the Toronto Star they are not aware of any incidents involving their students.
Over on Jesse Brown's Canadaland podcast, the media critic spoke to former Q producer Roberto Veri, who said "we all knew about Jian" and apologized.
Veri says he saw the sexual harassment incident that was described in the an Oct. 26 Toronto Star article, in which a woman alleged Ghomeshi said he wanted to "hate f--- her" and "cupped her buttocks."
"I FB messenger'd her to tell her that I was sorry that I didn't do anything, that I saw it first of all because I turned my head away when he went up behind her. She was leaning over her desk between the corridor of the executive producer's office and her desk. So she was leaned over contrary to where she sat. And she's bending over working on some papers. And he came up behind her, grabbed her by the waist and humped her four or five times. He drove his pelvis into her buttocks and a big smile on his face. So I looked over at that and just sort of put my head down again. I didn't know what the nature of the relationship was or if she was okay. When stuff like that does happen...
I think he might have even looked over at me when I turned my head. I was there. It felt like an episode of HBO's Rome where they do anything in front of the slaves. I was apologizing to her. She said, 'If you back me up' because the union has no record. I witnessed it. This is the only reason I'm weighing into this matter is because I love that person and I was sorry that I didn't ask about it afterwards. I ignored it."
The anonymous woman Veri was referring to also elaborated on the alleged 2010 incident in the National Post, where she said she informed an executive producer.
"[His] comment to me was …'He's never going to change, you're a malleable person, let’s talk about how you can make this a less toxic work environment for you. No one was going to talk to Jian, he was too big. The show was a f—-ing juggernaut at that point. His face and name were inextricably linked with the brand of Q."
The second woman, a Montreal-based CBC producer who "dreamed of being on Q," told the Toronto Star she met Ghomeshi at a book signing and alleges he took her to his hotel room and threw her against the wall. She says she performed oral sex “to get out of there” and didn’t complain to managers because “I felt like Jian was CBC god."
Yet another report emerged on Friday, published in Headspace and written by Elisabeth Faure, whom the site describes as "a Concordia journalism graduate, former CBC Montreal employee and Q intern."
Faure says that Ghomeshi never sexually harassed her, but the opening of her article indicates that his behaviour was known at the CBC.
"So, did Jian Ghomeshi try to sleep with you?"
This was the first question the then-Director of Current Affairs for CBC Radio in my hometown asked me the first day I got back from a 6-week unpaid internship at Q in Toronto. Her question, asked in front of a small group of co-workers in an open newsroom, elicited gales of laughter from all assembled. Because, you know, back then, it was funny what a reputation Jian (or JG, as he was known in Q circles) had for being a total sleazebag.
Huffpost Nov 3. 2014
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