The CBC has hired top Toronto labor lawyer Janice Rubin to investigate the Canadian pubcaster’s widening sex abuse scandal involving former radio host Jian Ghomeshi.
Employees who worked on Ghomeshi’s Play and Q radio shows are urged to use a secure phone line to report allegations of workplace harassment to Rubin, a co-founder of Rubin, Thomlinson LLP.
Heather Conway, executive vp of CBC English Services, in a Nov. 4 internal memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter urged co-workers to bring forward “complaints, concerns or experiences they wish to share regarding harassment, discrimination, violence or other inappropriate workplace conduct during their work on these programs.”
Read more Jian Ghomeshi Scandal: New Details Emerge From Radio Host’s Ex-Employer
The popular Canadian radio host was fired on Oct. 26 after senior CBC execs three days earlier viewed “graphic evidence of physical injury to a woman” allegedly caused by Ghomeshi. A CBC spokesman also Monday confirmed that Q executive producer Arif Noorani has taken an unspecified leave from his CBC post “while we get more clarity around this situation.”
Conway also outlined the scope of Rubin’s investigation into the allegations against Ghomeshi, to include a “summary of the complaints,” findings on each complaint investigated and recommendations on how the CBC can resolve each case. “We are committed to ensuring a workplace that is free from all forms of violence and harassment,” Conway said in her internal memo to employees.
The Toronto police sex crimes unit has opened a separate investigation into allegations against the former radio host, and has so far interviewed three women with complaints.
