Allegations against popular Toronto radio host highlight challenges of harassment in male-dominated workplaces
When Fiona McFarlane saw recent headlines about allegations against a radio co-host at Toronto radio station Q107, her reaction was blunt: “Really, we're still arguing that ‘Boys will be boys?’”
The case before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal reminds her of the Jian Ghomeshi saga — involving a former CBC co-host — “where there was a culture of impunity, partly because of a celebrity,” says the senior associate and workplace investigator at KSW Lawyers in Surrey, B.C.
Many workplaces have not changed with the times, says McFarlane, reflecting on the post‑#MeToo backlash and recent developments in the U.S.
“[It] has created a bit of a culture of impunity in some of these workplaces,” she says, despite differences in Canadian law.
“Regrettably, I've seen that kind of approach from employers as well, like, deflect and blame the victim.”
Rika Sawatsky, principal lawyer at Clausework in Toronto, says the allegations of gender-based discrimination at Q107 reflect familiar patterns, particularly for women in male‑dominated settings. She points to on‑air comments described by the CBC — such as co-host John Derringer calling a breast reduction “the cruelest surgery that a woman could have” because of “what it denies a man.”
“On top of that, there is this non‑consensual discussion of the woman's body and objectifying it without her permission...
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