Three former Liard First Nation employees say they experienced harassment — and that even after federal investigations substantiated their complaints, the workplace culture they raised concerns about remains unaddressed.
Between 2021 and 2023 former employees Tracy Nolan, Katherine Durocher, and Jesse Johnston all worked for Liard First Nation.
After leaving or being terminated, they each filed what’s called a “notice of occurrence” under federal Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations. The federal mechanism is meant to force the employer to hire an independent investigator — which in this case was the law firm West Coast Workplace Law — to carry out independent third-party investigations.
All three investigations — completed in December 2024 — substantiated "on a balance of probabilities" multiple allegations of harassment. The reports found a “culture of inappropriate behaviour”, high turnover, and lateral violence all contributed to a “toxic” and dysfunctional work environment.
Liard First Nations Chief Stephen Charlie acknowledged the Labour Board findings, and said the nation is working to implement the recommendations laid out in the reports.
Katherine Durocher was hired in April 2021 as the health and social services director. She describes her time with Liard First Nation as tumultuous.
“I think we went through...
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