Gay firefighter wins compensation for abuse on Halifax military base
HALIFAX — A firefighter has won compensation after enduring abuse and equipment tampering at a Halifax naval base because he is gay.
The Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal says the unidentified man was subject to “multiple incidents of traumatic events” while a firefighter for the Department of National Defence.
The man, now in his 50s, was a military and civilian firefighter at the base. He filed his appeal with the tribunal in February 2012 after his initial claim was rejected.
During a hearing last month, he testified that he endured insulting and humiliating comments, was threatened with physical assault, and on one occasion discovered that part of his protective equipment — his breathing apparatus — had been tampered with.