Internal fire dept. memo shows chief downplaying report into complaint of racism

WINNIPEG – Concerns continue to be raised over the possibility of racism among firefighters in Winnipeg.

It comes after a review last fall that looked into a complaint where firefighters responding to an emergency call allegedly exhibited bias towards an Indigenous woman.

But now CityNews has obtained an internal memo written to staff from Chief John Lane Thursday that states that no explicit racism was demonstrated towards the patient.

The chief’s memo was in response to the third-party investigation into allegations a firefighter resisted assisting a paramedic who had previously called him out for certain social media posts.

The firefighter was also accused of not wanting to assist in the treatment of the Indigenous woman who suffered the neck injury.

However, Lane’s memo appears to dismiss those allegations, saying in part, “The possibility of racial animus towards the ambulance paramedic that was raised in the report was determined to be unfounded.”

“The reaction should be, ‘Well, if there is some legitimacy to this, what can we do going forward to address this?’ And that’s what I would have liked to hear from the fire chief,” said Damon Johnston, president of the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg.

Johnston says he believes the majority of firefighters and paramedics are not racist, however, he does believe systemic racism is present within the institution and feels anyone who denies that is simply ignoring the facts.

Johnston wants to open a dialogue between the council and Lane to find a better solution for what the report called “evidence of implicit bias and lack of concern for a seriously injured Indigenous person.”

“And I would go farther to say that if the chief of fire is not willing to change his attitude, not willing to change what he does in this regard, then maybe he shouldn’t be there,” said Johnston.

In a statement from the Winnipeg Ambulance paramedic union, President Michelle Gawronsky called the memo from Lane downplaying and distorting the report’s findings “questionable leadership”.

“We must remember the seriousness of what the investigator found – that there was an attempt to collude and cover up the unnecessary delay in transporting a seriously injured Indigenous patient to hospital,” the statement continued.

Lane issued a statement in response to CityNews’ request for comment.

“We are committed to performing a fair investigation when any concern is brought forward. The report completed by Laurel Harris was one component in our investigation into the incident in October 2020. This report indicated that racial animus among the crew members may have been a factor on this call,” reads his statement.

“The details of this possibility could not be verified. Regardless, we want to ensure that racial animus is never part of the equation in our workplace. This is why we’ve implemented education and training for our employees.”