An escalating war of words between the leadership of the province’s dental watchdog and its employees has prompted calls for an independent investigation into an alleged toxic workplace culture of “bullying and harassment” that is undermining the public interest.
On Dec. 30, 16 anonymous current and former staff of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) sent provincial government and opposition politicians — as well as the Public Appointments Secretariat of Ontario — a list of allegations.
“Bullying and harassment…persist,” reads the letter from the 16 authors, who say they have kept their identities secret for fear of repercussions. “Swearing, shouting, racist and sexist remarks, intentional marginalization of female and racialized staff and sexualized behaviour are all ongoing problems. No one bothers to report such incidents to (human resources) because they have been normalized and no remedial action would be taken anyway.”
The authors say they are the “tip of the iceberg.”
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