Question: What's WORSE than cancer?

As mentioned in an earlier post, I have TWO books I *want* to write:

Book 1- The Worst Thing About Cancer Is Other People (TWTACIOP)

Book 2- Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight (FDSTSUE)

I'm NOT in writing mode these days.  For now, it's just ideas spinning in my head.  But the ideas are taking shape and starting to solidify.

FALL DOWN SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP EIGHT  will be a memoir about everything I went through during cancer.  You'd think that cancer would be the worst thing, but in many ways it wasn't.  The hell that George Brown College put me through while I was dealing with chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and such felt even worse.

And a thing has to be pretty awful to be worse than cancer.  What George Brown College did to me, how they treated me, was indeed WORSE THAN CANCER to me.

..... I'd like to believe that all the acrimony and antagonism was put to rest when we came to a settlement of our differences in October.  But the recent issue of digital access/digital barring raises questions.  I want to believe everything and everyone is acting in good faith, but I guess I will only know that as time passes on....

In any case, I know this will be one helluva book whenever I finish it and get it published.  

It's been a long road... one hell of a journey.

***When I eventually write FDSTSUE, I will give full details and supporting dox. 

More shenanigans from George Brown College

Even though I am and have continually been an employee at George Brown College, the bullying and stonewalling tactics by George Brown College -  specifically by a number of people in the Human Resources Dept, such as Roanna Moses, Jaismeen Rai, and now it seems to include Erin Campbell (to name but a few) - seem designed to make me feel like I am NOT an employee.  (See earlier post about getting my belongings from campus).

Hmm.

For instance, I always had digital access to George Brown digital platforms, portal,  etc.  Then *suddenly* in mid 2020, my acess was restricted.  Hmm.

I advised my Counsel, who advised George Brown College's Counsel and my digital access was reinstated around 20th September 2022.

Now *suddenly* my employee access is restricted again.  Erin Campbell in human resources at George Brown College tried to say it was a password issue.  Hmm.  But my password works fine - I can access everything online EXCEPT employee specific webpages.

So, is the stonewalling up and at 'em again?  Instead of being physically barred from George Brown College am I now being digitally barred?  Is this the lastest bullying trick  from human resources, or is it merely incompetence????  

Could it be just an innocent mistake????  Hmm.  This doesn't sound right to me...????  My full employee access was reinstated in SEPT.  Someone had to make a *choice* to have my access restricted again just a few weeks later...

Hmm.  Who knows?

More on skills, competence and experience & George Brown College

 I audio recorded the March 26, 2020 teleconference between myself and George Brown College where Roanna Moses admits she had no basis for making the "skills, competence, experience" comment.

The biggest problems with this comment from Roanna Moses are (were):

1.  Roanna Moses is the Disabilities and Accommodations Manager at George Brown College. 

2.  Roanna Moses said this in the context of planning my work assignment at George Brown College.

3.  Roanna Moses admitted to having no basis for making this claim.

4.  In the end, George Brown College did not give me any work assignment at all.

Payroll questions for George Brown College

I had some queries about some of my GBC pay cheques.  The numbers did not seem right.  I posed these questions to George Brown College for ~3 years, but never got clear answers.  But on two occasions, George Brown College told me in writing - from George Brown labour relations manager Timothy Bingham - that George Brown College could not discuss my pay questions with me.  Timothy Bingham basically stonewalled me, since I never got any explanations from Timothy Bingham or anyone else at George Brown College.

It's bizarre that an employee cannot get answers about pay from the organization that signs the pay cheque...

*** When I eventually write FDSTSUE, I will give the full details and supporting dox.

Return to Work at George Brown College

When I attempted to return to work (RTW) at George Brown College in 2017 and 2018, the process took ~6 weeks and involved 4 people.

When I attempted to RTW at George Brown College in 2020, the process dragged on for ~5 MONTHS and involved way more than 4 people, but didn't include my boss at the meeting when it mattered - since only my boss (Chairperson or Dean) can assign me work.  

**** When I eventually publish FDSTSUE, I will give all details and supporting dox.

Another bizarre thing George Brown College did...

 For ~15 months (Sept 2020 to Nov 2021), I tried and tried to get *some* of my PERSONAL belongings from George Brown College campus.  But GBC  - via human resources person Jaismeen Rai - refused to let me get my stuff, even though I followed the same COVID protocols as other GBC employees.  Jaismeen Rai never gave me any cogent, reasonable explanationfor why I was being treated differently than other George Brown College employees who could access campus.

In the end, George Brown College packed up everything from my cubicle and shipped three large boxes to my home.  

I only wanted certain things, things that were mine, paid for by me.

But what arrived at my home were several items that belonged to George Brown College, including GARBAGE, loose thumb tacks, and 125 student tests/exams.  Why would George Brown College send 125 student tests and exams to a professor on leave with cancer?

***When I eventually publish FDSTSUE, I will give all details and supporting dox.

George Brown College Salary Issue, part 2

 When I found out my male counterpart, at George Brown College - Andrew Johnston - was paid ~$20k more than I was, I asked Human Resources @ George Brown College to check the calculations for my starting salary.  They assign so many points for education here and points for work experience there, etc.

Upon investigation, I realized that George Brown College had not given me any credit for my 3.5 years working at George Brown College.  I questioned this.  Nancy Hood, the VP of Human Resources (at the time) replied by email, saying that my "George Brown experience is irrelevant."

Wow!  My George Brown College experience is IRRELEVANT??????? I bet they'd bever put that in any recruitment posters!!!!!

***** When I eventually write FDSTSUE, I will give the full details and supporting dox.

Skills, competence or experience & George Brown College

 My (attempted) return to work in Spring 2020 was handled at George Brown by Roanna Moses, the Disability and Accessibility Manager.

Without asking me about my history at the College, and without checking my personnel file, and without speaking to any of my supervisors, she questioned whether I had the "skills, competence or experience" for given work assignments.  So, that's the first problem: Roanna Moses failed to get info.  But secondly, she questioned my "skills, competence or experience" to do an UNNAMED work task.  I definitely don't have the skills, competence or experience to pilot an airplane.   

***** Whenever I eventually write FDSTSUE, I will give the fill details and supporting dox.

George Brown College - dispute, early days

 As mentioned in a prior post, the dispute (which was originally over salary) began in 2015. .. and my cancer diagnosis was in 2015.  

GBC refused to expedite the resolution.

In March 2018 we came to an agreement.  But it contained an error - my salary was listed incorrectly.  I immediately pointed out the error, and submitted prooof of my salary (pay stubs). Nonetheless, GBC communicated that they could not confirm my salary, even after giving them pay stubs WHICH ORIGINATED WITH THEM & WERE IN  THEIR POSSESSION.  How could any employer not know what they paid an employee?

Work assignment @ George Brown College

 Even though I began, or tried to begin, the return to work process around Christmas - with a planned return to work date of May 01 - George Brown did not give me a work assignment.  Furthermore, they never communicated a reason to me for why they refused to give me a work assignment.

Salary issue at George Brown College

With regard to the salary dispute at George Brown College re: a man - Andrew Johnston- who was hired for the same job, in the same department & hired at the same time as I was, but who is paid ~$20k more than I am..

Necessary detail:  I had worked on contract at the college for 3.5 years before being hired permanent/full time.

When I asked Human Resources to review my resume and starting salary, the VP of human resources (Nancy Hood, who has since retired) told me in writing that my work experience at George Brown College was "irrelevant".

Irrelevant????  Imagine if potential students were told such a thing!!!

2 letters from George Brown College threatened to fire me during cancer

Continuing the discussion of the hell I went through during cancer, specifically as related to my employer George Brown College...  

George Brown College sent me not one but two letters (one from Leslie Quinlan and the other from Dave Maharaj) threatening to fire me WHILE I WAS ON SICK LEAVE WITH CANCER.

The thing is, during the 18 years I have worked there, I have never had a black mark next to my name.  I've NEVER been reprimanded or disciplined for anything at anytime during my employment at George Brown College.

And the thing that makes me scratch my head is that these 2 letters & the threat within them do not jibe with George Brown College’s own "Progressive Discipline Policy."

Ridiculousness from Roanna Moses at George Brown College

Another source of major headaches was how George Brown College acted when I was due to return to work following cancer.  My doctors advised that initially I should A) work from home and B) work flexible hours.  

Roanna Moses in the human resources dept of George Brown College resisted both doctor's requests. Her job title is "Disabilities and Accommodations Manager".

George Brown College, via Roanna Moses, did not support working from home EVEN THOUGH THE WHOLE PROVINCE WAS WORKING FROM HOME BECAUSE WE WERE IN COVID LOCKDOWN!  The lame explanation given to me was that the doctor's nites didn't match what the insurer said... but again we were in a pandemic lockdown.

And Roanna Moses resisted "flexible hours" because George Brown College didn't understand what "flexible hours" meant, even after 16 emails and 2 phone calls.  I even sent them a link to Dictionary.com so they could look up the words "flexible" and "hours" but they still couldn't figure it out.

***** When I eventually write FDSTSUE, I will explain thisnin full and give the relevant details and supporting dox.

Paola Loriggio Article

 

Part of the drag-on and on and on is delays and understaffing at the various bodies where the workplace dispute could be adjudicated. 

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/experts-say-staffing-shortage-compounds-covid-19-delays-at-human-rights-tribunal-1.5082048

After about three years of dragging through the HRTO channels, this died on the vine.  What is disappointing was that so much time was wasted getting nowhere.

Other Things @ George Brown College: Andrew Johnston

One of the worst things I  have endured during cancer is a protracted dispute with my employer, George Brown College  It began in July 2015.  I was diagnosed with cancer in October 2015.

The dispute with George Brown College began as one thing, but has morphed into 1,283,864 other things that are still alive today.  

Initially, it was about my salary and the salary of the man - Andrew Johnston - who was hired the same time as I was, for the same job, in the same department.  I found out he was paid $20K more than I am.  Source: Sunshine List

https://www.sunshineliststats.com/PersonByName/9/2021?n=georgebrowncollegeofappliedartsandtechnology&name=johnston

Works in Progress (WIP)

 For the most part, cancer derailed me from writing, be it the next Sasha Jackson mystery, or blog posts, or pretty much anything else.

In the last 7 or 8 months, I've been very tentatively poking a bit at not one, but two writing ideas.  Both WIPs are in early, nascent  embryonic stages.  The working titles for the two projects are:

■  The Worst Thing About Cancer Is Other People (TWTACIOP)

and

■  Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight (FDSTSUE)

Both projects are nonfiction.  Both have to do with my cancer experience, but each comes at things from a different perspective.

TWTACIOP mainly focuses on how people around the cancer patient & people who have never had cancer inform the experience of the patient.  You'll shake your head and roll your eyes a lot.

FDSTSUE is about my cancer, ahem, "journey", plus all the things I experienced during my cancer, ahem, "journey."  It covers the good, the bad, and the ugly, much of it will surprise you.  A major theme is the shenanigans I endured via my employer, George Brown College, and the protracted dispute that dragged on during cancer.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hurl (nod to Wayne's World).

I have no idea when either of these will be completed, nor do I know which one will be finished first.  What I do know is that I have a lot to say.

P.S.  I am not working on any Sasha books at this time.  Even way back before cancer, I had the next two Sasha books (Odd Lang Syne & Home Sweet Homicide) underway.  I like both of these, and will finish them someday.  However, at present, I'm not inspired to write fiction.  So, back burner for now.

***** Whenever I eventually publish one or both of these books, I will provide all the details and supporting documents.

Published Articles

 

Toronto Star: A Positive Outlook Not Always in Your Best Interest

https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2017/09/03/a-positive-outlook-not-always-in-your-best-interest.html

Toronto Star: Why I'm Giving Up on Online Dating

https://www.thestar.com/life/relationships/opinion/2018/01/01/why-im-giving-up-on-online-dating.html

Globe and Mail: I've Beaten Cancer but Please Stop Telling Me I'm Fine

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-i-have-beaten-cancer-but-please-stop-telling-me-im-fine/

University Affairs: See You in Court: Five Instructive Cases for Universities

https://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/see-you-in-court-five-instructive-cases-for-universities/