Civil suit alleges ‘culture of intimidation and hostility’ at Gabriola fire department

The District is the governing authority for the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department and “provide[s] long-range planning and oversight for our fire department” according to the Department’s website.

None of the allegations have been proven in court, nor has the District, Giffin, Sprogis or the third individual responded formally to the suit.

A response is required within at least 21 days after receipt of the civil claim.

Failure to submit a response may lead to a judgement being automatically made against the defendants.

Bullying and Harassment
Hired by the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District in April 2024, Dow was responsible for a number of administrative tasks in the department, “with a broad scope of managerial responsibilities”, according to the lawsuit.

Included were maintaining files and documents, bookkeeping, recording of meeting minutes and preparing bylaws and documents for submission to the government.

Dow claims shortly after being hired, he began receiving “numerous complaints from firefighters regarding their treatment” by Sprogis.

He also said Sprogis was hired in his role as chief by Giffin, noting in his suit the two “have a close relationship.”

In the suit, Dow documented what he deemed unprofessional conduct “of sufficient severity to constitute bullying or harassment” against a number of people within both the District, which oversees the GVFD, and the department itself.

An early October 2024 incident allegedly saw Dow “the target of yelling and offensive language” from Giffin, which Dow reported via email to the District the following day, outlining the impacts of the alleged bullying and harassment on his mental health.

One day after the report, Dow said Sprogis and Giffin “confronted” him, demanding he apologize to Giffin for his complaint, which he reluctantly did.

The pattern continued, according to Dow, through to Dec. 11, 2024 when he submitted a formal complaint to the District regarding Sprogis and his conduct.

Dow was placed on administrative leave two days later, stating he was not able to take part in Department activities, nor be at the fire hall.

He added, to his knowledge, Sprogis was not placed on leave or had any limitations placed on his work activities.

An investigation into Sprogis was reportedly started just before Christmas, led by Giffin, with Dow providing additional details at the District’s request.

Dow alleged searches of his department email account were done “to identify a basis to terminate [Dow] with cause”, and at least one meeting between Dow and Giffin in January 2025 “was of a disciplinary nature”.

The investigation concluded in late February, with help from a District-hired consultant, and found no “bullying or harassment occurred”, due in large part to the consultant being unable to “speak to any firsthand witnesses of such behaviour”.

On Thursday, March 13, Dow was terminated without cause from his position. Dow alleged no “reasonable notice” was given, nor compensation received in lieu of notice.

He also claims he’d received positive comments from Sprogis regarding his job performance, noting Dow “consistently excelled” in his role.

Financial Issues
Part of Dow’s complaint revolves around what he said were “improper payments” allegedly made to Sprogis’ wife, Jennifer Knight, which were identified by another firefighter in the GVFD.

The suit said Knight was paid by the District for attending regular fire practices, meetings and course training, in addition to also earning money for being an on-call employee with the BC Ambulance Service.

“This resulted in taxpayers (through the District and BC Ambulance Service) paying two simultaneous hourly rates to Ms. Knight for one hour of her actual time,” the lawsuit argues.

Dow said he became aware of the situation in December and reviewed past financial records, confirming the payments. He also said he reached out to a professional accountant who said, “this was potentially a serious issue and required investigation.”

Six days after learning of the issue, Dow reported it to the District’s board of trustees, providing supporting documentation.

Around the same time, Dow’s lawsuit outlined how he saw Sprogis shredding “various records in the workplace…including original payroll records approving payments made to Ms. Knight.”

Dow remains uncertain about the “full scope of documents destroyed”.

The suit referenced how Dow received an email on Dec. 11 from Sprogis accusing him of “wrongfully accessing confidential employee documents”, suggesting it was outside his responsibilities with the GVFD.

Sprogis reportedly claimed the payroll irregularities had been resolved and the Board had been made aware.

Dow alleges this incident made Sprogis “extremely angry” because financial details about his wife were “the subject of discussion and complaints”, and suggested much of Sprogis’ anger was directed to Dow.

Sprogis, according to Dow, demanded to see Dow’s cellphone so he could read text messages, and required Dow to “advise him of private conversations” which occurred between Dow and the firefighter who first identified the irregularities.

A request was also allegedly made by Sprogis for Dow to tell him where the firefighter lived, threatening Dow with “serious consequences” along with using “physical proximity, glaring and [a] raised voice to emphasize his requests”.

Dow’s key to access a filing cabinet with payroll records was also confiscated by Sprogis, according to Dow.

A human resources consultant was hired by the District, with Dow alleging the consultant was “provided…with [a] partial set of internal documentation regarding the payroll irregularities.”

The consultant then sent a letter on Dec. 5, 2024, stating a formal investigation had not occurred, but Dow alleged they were “dismissive of the payroll irregularities and the concerns raised.”

According to Dow, as of March 7, 2025, the concerns he raised regarding the payroll had been ignored, in addition to his evidence of bullying and destruction of documents.

Seeking Damages
Dow is seeking damages for breach of contract and wrongful dismissal, equal to six months of his employment, along with damages for “civil conspiracy”, “breach of the duty of good faith and honest performance”, as well as punitive, aggravated and special damages, plus court costs.

His suit notes he anticipates difficulty finding similar employment on Gabriola Island, and has already sustained expenses in efforts to relocate for employment elsewhere.

A response from the District, Giffin, Sprogis and the third individual regarding the allegations is expected by early April.

Filing of the suit came the same day CUPE announced 29 members of the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department would unionize through Local 606 in Nanaimo.

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by Alex Rawnsley

Civil suit alleges ‘culture of intimidation and hostility’ at Gabriola fire department

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