City of Saskatoon disputes former employee’s claim she was fired for ‘being queer’

A long-serving City of Saskatoon employee claims she was fired for “being queer,” and says she wants her job back.

According to the city, her allegations are “simply not true,” despite a disagreement over gender-neutral language.

Jackie Morley, former operations supervisor for the city’s roadways department, worked as an employee of the city for 21 years and served for seven years as president of the Saskatoon Civic Middle Management Association, IFPTE Local 222.

Morley said her record as an employee had no blemishes on it.

On Aug. 10, Morley said she was presented with a memo she was asked to sign.

The memo, from Goran Saric, the city’s director of roadways, fleet and support, was a request to Morley asking her to refrain from referring to other employees as “humans” or “my humans.”

The memo – a copy of which was provided to 650 CKOM by Morley – stated her use of those terms negatively impacted both employees and the union, and asked Morley to “use a different term that is more reflective of a professional business environment and the City’s corporate values.”

Goran Saric, Saskatoon’s roadways director. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

“I was very upset,” Morley said. “I explained that ‘human’ is a diverse term which the city’s very own resource department teaches employees to use.”

Morley said she ultimately refused to sign the document.

She said she was fired without “any explanation” and “without cause” the following day.

The former employee became emotional when speaking to reporters on Thursday morning.

“It’s hard for me to believe that an organization that preaches ‘people matter’ would treat me this way,” she said.

Morley said she believes sexual orientation was the ultimate reason she was terminated from her post.

“After over 20 years of loyal service with the City of Saskatoon, I was fired for being queer,” she said.

It’s uncommon for the city to release details on a termination, but City Hall pushed back against Morley’s claims on Thursday.

A statement from Marno McInnes, the City of Saskatoon’s chief human resources officer, said an employee would never be terminated on such grounds.

According to the city, staff members raised concerns over Morley’s use of the term “my humans,” and while the city did attempt to have her use other inclusive language, that was not the ultimate cause of her termination.

“Ms. Morley’s employment was terminated because her leadership style was incompatible with the City’s values, was causing extensive work strife, and she refused to change her approach despite numerous attempts by her supervisors,” the statement read.

“The City decided it simply needed to move in a new direction,” McInnes said, noting that Morley was given the equivalent of 18 months’ pay as severance.

According to public records, Morley’s total earnings in 2022 added up to $112,646, along with a car allowance of over $3,000.

Lori Johb, president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, called it disappointing that Morley was fired without cause.

Other organizations, including the Saskatchewan Pride Network, encouraged the city to reconsider its decision to fire Morley. The network further called on the city to review its policies and practices related to inclusivity.

“The City continues to work as an ally for all LGBQT2S+ employees. We aren’t perfect, but the City’s commitment to LGBQT2S+ staff is unwavering,” the city’s statement said.

A formal human rights complaint has also been filed against the City of Saskatoon by the union.