Saskatoon care aid worker claims persecution for whistleblowing

About a week after coming forward, Bowden said he began to learn of written complaints made by other staff about his job performance. Eight of those complaints are now under investigation by the Saskatoon Health Region, and Bowden has been suspended with pay.

“I believe that there’s a conspiracy afoot,” he said. “I hate to use that word conspiracy, but it’s strange that I would go public one day, and then a week after that all these allegations came forward.”

He believes details of his employment were leaked to the premier’s office, who in turn leaked it to the media.

A pair of privacy appeals have since been filed.

When asked about Bowden’s case in Question Period, Premier Brad Wall has repeatedly said that Bowden’s suspension had nothing to do with his coming forward in the legislature, and no information was leaked to the press.

“There was no leak,” Wall said on Monday, “we have already indicated exactly how this information was sent on background to the media, with one particular media outlet deciding to take the step from background to inclusion in the story.”

Bowden admits that a few of the allegations are true, though most are “a bunch of baloney”.

Prior to coming forward, Bowden said he was never disciplined, or even brought into a manager’s office in 11 years. He fears now that his name has been tarnished, he won’t be able to find employment in the health-care sector ever again.

“If I knew what I was getting into, I would have never said a word. I would have let those poor people in dementia suffer, and I would have kept my mouth shut for the next three years and retired quite happily,” he said.

– With files from News Talk’s David Kirton, and the Canadian Press

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

by Kurtis Doering

Saskatoon care aid worker claims persecution for whistleblowing

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