A renowned professor at the University of Victoria was fired last year after the school claimed he sexually harassed at least two students, according to two recent decisions made by the B.C. Labour Relations Board. According to the decisions, Robert Gifford, who had worked at UVic for 45 years as a professor of psychology and environmental studies, was first suspended in 2021 and then fired in June 2024 for "the serious nature of the findings against [him], the repeated harm to junior scholars, and [his] lack of accountability and understanding of [his] obligations as a senior scholar." The LRB panel found that in 2017, Gifford had met a visiting grad student who is named in the documents as "AB," and in 2018 they went to a conference to present a paper they had co-authored. In an email presented to the board, Gifford wrote to the student that he wished to share a hotel room. "This arrangement might require a bit of care in terms of other people who we know at the congress, but that can be managed," he wrote. "And, of course, everything beyond the mere sharing of the room is to be decided on a completely mutual basis, at the time. How does that sound?" AB wrote back that she wanted to remain "strictly professional" with Gifford. An investigation report had noted that AB had become more concerned with Gifford's conduct after she learned that he may have made similar advances towards other women affiliated with UVic. A recent decision by the board had noted there was a second individual who alleged he had sexually harassed them, however, there were no further details about the incident. After his termination, his union filed a grievance, alleging the school failed to provide Gifford with "progressive discipline," and failed to properly investigate the incidents related to his termination. However, the grievance was denied, and the union declined to bring the grievance to arbitration. Gifford alleged that the union breached its duty of fair representation by making the decision not to pursue the grievance to arbitration, which was denied in a decision from the board in May. In the most recent decision, Gifford applied for leave and reconsideration of the May decision, though that was also dismissed on Aug. 7. Gifford is a highly awarded academic with numerous awards, including being named as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has also sat as president of several environmental psychology organizations and the chief editor of the Journal of Environmental Psychology. In an emailed statement, UVic said they are aware of the board's ruling, however, due to privacy concerns, they can't speak specifically to Gifford's case. "What we can share is that UVic is committed to providing an inclusive and respectful environment in which to work, learn and teach. If there is behaviour by a UVic employee that is contrary to UVic’s policies and collective agreements, we want people to come forward so the circumstances can be addressed," they said. UVic says they have policies that include a discrimination and harassment policy, which is complaint-based, and a sexualized violence response policy, which takes a "survivor-centred approach" to addressing concerns. "Terminating employment is not a step we take lightly and, when it happens, is indicative of the serious nature of the concerns raised," they concluded.
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