Calls for whistleblower policy at London City Hall as allegations of harassment are made about more municipal departments

In light of discrimination and harassment claims against a member of the city’s leadership team, should London adopt a whistleblower policy? Daryl Newcome expla

There are calls for London City Hall to implement a whistleblower protection policy after a former employee was fired weeks after receiving confirmation that she had been harassed by the director of housing stability services (HSS).

After the story of former-employee Kate Green aired on Tuesday, past and present employees began contacting CTV News about their experiences.

Frightened about possible reprisal, two have given permission to publish their words anonymously:

“… my experience in bringing forward issues to managers/HR with the expectation issues could be resolved, it would backfire.”

Another individual texted, “OMG We need a whistleblower policy.”

Former City Coun. Megan Walker, who has also been an advocate for women who face harassment, is concerned, telling CTV News, “It is absolutely outrageous that all of these years later, we continue to talk about an issue that the city is actually legislated to take care of.”

She believes city hall can do more to ensure employees feel safe reporting harassment.

“I think everything we can adopt is going to be helpful, including a whistleblower policy,” Walker explained. “The city needs to get on with understanding the detrimental impact of workplace harassment on its own employees.”

Municipalities including Toronto, Hamilton, and Cambridge have so-called whistleblower policies intended to protect employees who report serious wrongdoing from job-related reprisals.

Walker says fear of retribution is a leading reason why harassment can go unreported in workplaces.

“It’s very real, and it does contribute to a culture of silence. Fear is a motivating factor for why individuals will not come forward and share their stories,” she added.

In June 2025, a human rights investigation determined that Kate Green, a manager in HSS, had experienced “disrespectful, harassing, and discriminatory conduct” from the Director of Housing Stability Services Craig Cooper.

A summary of the independent investigation was provided to Green that determined Cooper “… can be loud and at times rude while interrupting others and barking orders. The investigator found that this behaviour impacted employees and community representatives.”

It concludes Cooper, “… engaged in workplace harassment against you by engaging in disrespectful and unprofessional behaviour that contributed to creating a negative work environment.”

Three other allegations in her complaint were deemed not substantiated.

In September she was fired without cause but refused to accept salary continuance plus $5,000 for general damages because the agreement included a non-disparagement clause.

“It’s very concerning to me that the municipality would use public funding in order to silence a woman who has experienced harassment in their workplace,” she told CTV News in a sit-down interview last week. “It doesn’t do anything to solve the problem. It funds its continuation. And I don’t want to be a part of that.”

On Wednesday, CTV News began contacting members of London City Council about whether they believe a whistleblower protection policy would be beneficial at city hall.

However, a memo from City Manager Sandra Datars Bere to council had warned them about commenting on the harassment story, saying, “Please note that the city’s policy is clear that all such matters are subject to confidentiality.”

Her memo goes on to advise, “I would respectfully ask that you refer any media enquiries to our communications department or respond with a standard statement. We are not in a position to comment on any personnel matter.”

In response to an interview request sent to the communications department about preventing retribution and potential whistleblower protection, CTV News received a written statement:

It reads, “The City of London takes allegations of harassment seriously and has clear policies in place to ensure a safe and respectful workplace. Protections for individuals who raise concerns are built into the City’s Respectful Workplace Policy and Code of Ethics, which outline expectations for conduct and prohibit any form of reprisal. These policies together with the Occupational Health and Safety Act provide the framework and safeguards needed to address workplace concerns and prevent retaliation, including the requirement to maintain confidentiality about complaints and any individuals involved in them.”

An interview request to Craig Cooper has yet to receive a response.

London City Hall has a history of workplace harassment.

In 2018, Toronto law firm Rubin Thomlinson LLP was hired as an independent third party to investigate harassment, bullying and discrimination reported by employees of the city at the time.

Of the 779 current and former city employees who completed a survey for Rubin Thomlinson’s investigation, almost half (383) said that they had experienced harassment, discrimination, bullying, intimidation, and/or reprisal in the workplace.

In 2019, Civic Administration committed to act upon the report’s recommendations that included strategies to improve transparency, policies, and training.