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RDOS and rural director deny claims of lawsuit

RDOS, director deny claims

The allegations of harassment filed in a civil lawsuit against the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameeen and Okanagan Falls director Ron Obirek have been denied in a response filed this month. 

Gregory Rose filed a suit against Obirek and the RDOS in December claiming that while he was hired by the RDOS on an $83,000 contract to do a needs assessment on an office in OK Falls serving areas D and I, he was subject to harassment.

In a response filed March 10, Obirek and the RDOS do not dispute that Rose was hired to conduct such a review and would be paid $80 per hour and be required to work between 21 and 35 hours per week. 

But their response denies claims from Rose that Obirek "continuously and intentionally intervened with the plaintiff’s work,” and that Rose never received written notice his contract was terminated. 

The original lawsuit claims Rose specifically asked the RDOS to keep Obirek out of the Okanagan Falls office for the duration of his contract, March to December 2019, further alleging the RDOS was aware of a history of “ongoing harassment inflicted upon RDOS staff by” Obirek.

The suit seeks general damages for breach of contract, wrongful dismissal, loss of income, moving costs, loss of opportunity, psychological injury as well as punitive and special damages. 

The response claims that in May 2019, the RDOS board "met and resolved to terminate the contract. [Rose] was made aware of the resolution and provided with more than thirty days' notice of termination, to become effective on July 30, 2019."

It further claims Rose "was paid all amounts owing under the contract up to and including the termination date," and that "the engagement was subject to termination prior to December 31, 2019 on thirty days' written notice if, in its discretion, RDOS determined that: the plaintiff was unsuitable for the work; his performance was 'unsatisfactory'; or he was unwilling or unable to properly carry out the work."

None of the above allegations have been proved in court.



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