By Dominic Abassi

Nanaimo CAO Samra on leave following profane public outburst

Jul 31, 2017 | 3:48 PM

NANAIMO — The City’s top employee is on leave after a profane outburst.

Several complaints were filed with the human resources department following a July 26 incident in front of staff and members of the public in the City’s Service and Resource Centre, NanaimoNewsNOW has learned.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a witness said chief administrative officer Tracy Samra opened the door of the board room following a closed council meeting and began yelling. Samra shouted something to the effect of “you are all motherf***ers,” before leaving the building, the witness said.

There were at least four members of the public in the lobby at the time.

In an emailed statement, Samra said her “unprofessional comments” came as a response to the release of a report from an independent consultant who had investigated complaints filed by Samra under the respectful workplace policy.

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“HR and the acting CAO met with affected staff to convey my apologies,” Samra said in the email. “I apologize to those who heard my statement. I expect to remain on leave while Council considers and deliberates on the Respectful Workplace Policy Report.”

All members of council were contacted for comment but none has responded.

Hours after responding to questions about the July 26 incident, Samra issued a personal release, referencing a hostile work environment and video of an alleged assault. A full story on that release can be found here.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi