City fighting order to rehire employee sacked for sexual activity in fire chief's office

The City of Vernon says it will appeal an order to reinstate a fire captain who was turfed after he was caught engaging in sexual activity in the chief's office.

In a statement Thursday, a spokesperson said the cityhas filed an application to the Labour Relations Board appealing an arbitration board's order to rehire Capt.Brent Bond.

Bond and a dispatcher were fired in March 2018 after what the board called "a brief episode of consensual activity" recorded by a hidden surveillance camera.

The arbitration board ultimately ruled that although theirsexual misconduct was worthy of harsh discipline, bothemployeesshould not have been fired.

It ordered Bond to be reinstated effective Feb. 1, 2019, with no loss of seniority of benefits and no compensation for lost wages.

He was to have a disciplinary suspension of five months on his employment record and a demotion to the rank of 1st class firefighter until Feb. 1, 2022, when he would be reinstated to the rank of fire captain.

The board ordered the city to reinstate the dispatcher without loss of seniority or service. However, she will not be returning as the position was contracted out in October 2018.