Brenda Seymour 'not pleased' with report on alleged harassment in Spaniard's Bay fire department

A report into allegations of harassment, intimidation and bullying at the Spaniard's Bay volunteer fire department is in the hands of town leaders, and its contents are being kept under wraps for now.

But the woman who ignited the storm of controversy says she's not happy with its findings.

"I am not pleased with it. I am definitely actually a little bit shocked by what this investigator has felt fit to put on paper," Brenda Seymour told CBC News Tuesday.

The 100-plus page report was prepared by retired RCMP sergeant Cliff Yetman and was discussed at a privileged town council meeting on Monday.

Council is still debating how and when it will make the report available to the public, but sources tell CBC that the report concluded the allegations made by Seymour were unfounded.

'My fears were justified'

Seymour is a volunteer firefighter and member of the Spaniard's Bay town council, and received a copy of the report last week.

She did not participate in the review, saying she was "not confident with the investigator," or the process by which council selected Yetman.

"All I can say is my fears were justified ... and I am so glad I didn't participate," she said while refusing to elaborate.

When asked to describe the quality of the report, she said "the doubt that it is unbiased is certainly present."

She said council did not issue a formal request for proposals for the review, and did not seriously consider any female consultants.

"They were engaged mostly on their cost, and it seemed to me they were looking for the cheapest bidder, but that backfired a little bit," she said, adding that the cost ballooned from an original budget of $15,000 to nearly $30,000.

Report's author describes 'intense' process

Seymour also refused to meet with Yetman because of his background with the RCMP, saying the national police force was dealing with its own sexual harassment scandal while Yetman was carrying out his review.

"There's nobody could tell me that after spending 35 years of your life in a profession that you loved that you didn't have some feelings on that," she said.

Yetman would not do a recorded interview when contacted Tuesday, and would not comment on his report.

But he expressed confidence in his work, and said it was Seymour's choice not to participate.

Yetman described the process as "intense" and said he hoped it will help resolve the division and animosity in the town.

As for Seymour's reference to the RCMP sexual harassment scandal, Yetman said it had no bearing on his work, and "she can say what she likes."

Seymour didn't feel safe

So how can Seymour expect a full and fair report if she refused to participate?

"I was really torn when I couldn't and I didn't feel safe enough to participate," she answered. "I did expect the report would come back as inconclusive."

The report was months in the making, and its completion comes a year after a scandal that thrust Spaniard's Bay into the national spotlight.

Seymour alleged she was sexually harassed and bullied during her time on the brigade, including a revelation that a visiting instructor played a hard-core porn video at the conclusion of a training session in 2014. Seymour was the only female in the room at the time.

She also publicly criticized the leadership of the then-fire chief.

The dispute erupted in January 2016 with a mass resignation of nearly 20 volunteer firefighters, including the chief, and a member of the town council.

Seymour eventually received a written apology from council, and the fire department was slowly rebuilt.

Council authorized the arms-length review last spring following pressure from a concerned citizens' committee.​

Deputy Mayor Paul Brazil has been acting mayor in recent weeks, and could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

But Seymour is not hopeful that much more will be done.

"The feeling I was getting in the room last night was council is ready to accept this report without even questioning my concerns," she said.

"The only one that's left here with no answers and no justice is me."