As such, Kruzeniski says the Premier’s office did not break any rules in disclosing Peter Bowden’s personal information. But a report from the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner, to be released Tuesday morning, could shed some light on a controversial piece of the puzzle.
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Bowden was suspended from his job at Oliver Lodge with pay last spring after he made allegations about the way seniors in the home were being treated.
In an April 2014 e-mail, the government said Bowden had been disciplined for incidents related to patient care and “harassment of other staff and residents”.
He raised concerns with the privacy commissioner about his employment information being shared with media.
Bowden believed he had been suspended for speaking out and complained to the privacy commissioner.
Oliver Lodge, the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority and the Ministry of Health develop polices and procedures to determine when it is appropriate to request and disclose personal information.
According to Kruzeniski, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) does not apply to offices of Cabinet ministers or the Premier’s office because they do not qualify as a government institution.
“The buck stops with the minister’s office and the premier’s office in all matters of government, I would argue”.
SHR CEO Dan Florizone said he plans to write a letter apologizing to Bowden for the breach of privacy.
“The Saskatoon Health Region as an employer has set out some fairly steep conditions of confidentiality regarding supporting documentation for the decision to terminate”.
Florizone said the health region’s senior leaders are working on revisions to SHR policy around disclosure, transparency and public reporting.
Premier Brad Wall said the information on seven allegations was general in nature, and he believed it was consistent with government policy.
He stressed Bowden’s termination was not because he spoke out and does not want to discourage future employees from speaking out about problems in the workplace.
It further states it wasn’t because Bowden contacted media and politicians about his concerns about care at the facility.
“I have asked myself that question a dozen times”, he said.
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Though he’s upset with his dismissal, Bowden said he doesn’t feel “too bad” because he said the investigation process led him to expect this result.
