'Every employment situation involving termination will involve some measure of stress’

A Calgary social-services worker who said she signed a severance deal while sick, financially strained and newly a single parent has lost her bid to revive a discrimination complaint, after a tribunal ruled the release she signed was binding.

Kayla Campbell worked for the Reset Society of Calgary from January 2016 until October 2023. Her employer offered 15 weeks of severance, five weeks in lieu of notice plus 10 more for signing a release, which she accepted ahead of an Oct. 11, 2023 deadline.

Campbell held the role of community support coordinator and EXIT program key worker. She said she was on medical leave from February to August 2023 and returned still dealing with physical and mental health challenges and childcare needs as a newly single parent.

She said she asked for accommodations including remote work, reduced hours, and scheduling flexibility, and was refused.

Claims of discrimination

Campbell also alleged she was given filing and computer tasks in a small windowless room instead of her regular duties, that she was called a "liability," and that she was warned she would have no income unless she took severance. She claimed the employer discouraged her from pursuing long-term disability benefits and misrepresented her eligibility for employment insurance.

The Reset Society denied discriminating against the employee. It said it had accommodated Campbell by placing her on...

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