A lawsuit against the Yukon government by a former employee has been put on hold pending the conclusion of the employee’s complaint to the Yukon Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner.
Jarrett Parker alleges he was fired after raising concerns about the treatment of children in group homes.
Lawyers representing both Parker and the Yukon government signed a consent order June 4 that states Parker’s legal action will be stayed “until after the withdrawal or final disposition” of his reprisal complaint to the Commissioner.
The government will also be given seven days from the conclusion of the complaint to file its statement of defence in the lawsuit.
As well, both parties have withdrawn notices of applications filed late last month related to the civil action. Parker’s lawyer, Dan Shier, had requested an order that would require the Yukon government to file a statement of defence within 24 hours or be found in default, with damages and costs payable to Parker.
The Yukon government had sought an order that would have given it seven days from the final disposition of its application to file a statement of defence, and one of three alternatives: that Parker’s statement of claim “be struck in its entirety as an abuse of process,” that the lawsuit be stayed until Parker’s complaint to the Commissioner is resolved, or, should the lawsuit proceed, that several paragraphs and phrases from the statement of claim be struck out.
Contact Jackie Hong at jackie.hong@yukon-news.com