Former Charlottetown restaurant owners have their say at hearing into sexual harrassment

The former owners of a Charlottetown restaurant told their side of the story on Wednesday, at a P.E.I. Human Rights Commission hearing looking into allegations around sexual harassment in the workplace.

Smitty's Family Restaurant is a longtime fixture of the Charlottetown dining scene.

At the time of the allegations in this human rights hearing, the restaurant was owned by a trio of women — owner/ managers — who worked shoulder-to-shoulder along with their staff.

On Wednesday, one of those former owners, Angela Flood, testified they did not have formal policy and procedures in place when it came to sexual harassment issues — but that they did the all the right things when it came to a disgruntled former employee at the centre of this case.

That employee — Kimberly Milligan — alleges she was fired for complaining about verbal and physical harassment — complaints she said were ignored.

But Flood testified business was slow at the time Milligan was laid off, and a more senior waitress had just returned from maternity leave.

As a junior member of staff, Milligan was laid off with two weeks' severance pay.

The hearing also heard that another former Smitty's employee has filed a human rights complaint related to these allegations.

Milligan filed her complaint five years ago.

One of the three women who once owned and ran the restaurant has since died.