Kristen Adams was honoured for her work at Camp Adazi in Latvia by the Canadian Forces.PHOTO BY PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN ADAMS/ /jpg
A civilian worker sexually assaulted by a NATO soldier has been told she should have realized she faced such dangers when accepting a job supporting Canada’s military mission in Latvia, according to documents obtained by this newspaper.
Kristen Adams has been seeking answers from the military’s senior leadership including Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre about the attack she faced while working in the canteen operated by Canada for its troops in Latvia. Canadian military police reports and documents noted Adams was sexually assaulted when an Albanian soldier grabbed her breast during an incident on Dec. 3, 2022.
Adams, who previously worked as a National Defence contract cleaner at Garrison Petawawa, had been employed by the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS), an organization that works on behalf of the defence chief to provide programs and services to military members.
The assault on Adams took place at Camp Adazi near the Latvian capital of Riga.
But in a May 10, 2023 letter, the CFMWS told Adams she should have realized she could have faced such an incident when she signed on for the job.
“As you were made aware during pre-deployment training, which occurred from 6 to 15 September 2022, there are risks involved in deploying into a theatre of operations where numerous countries work and live together and of the cultural differences that exist as a result,” wrote Ben Ouellette, vice president of CFMWS’ personnel support programs group. “In accepting to deploy, you are taking on a certain risk of working in this environment.”
Ouellette declined to be interviewed by this newspaper.
Adams said she was disgusted by the response. “Since when is sexual assault considered to be part of cultural differences or part of a job description?” she said. “He is placing the blame on me by claiming I should have known I could be sexually assaulted at my place of employment.”
Adams believes the Canadian military and the CFMWS are trying to sweep the incident under the rug. “They don’t want anything to cause embarrassment for the Latvia mission,” she said. “It’s all about protecting the mission.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in July that as part of a major commitment to NATO, Canada would spend another $2.6 billion to double the number of troops it has stationed in Latvia. Canada currently has roughly 1,000 military personnel in that country.
The Canadian facility where the assault took place is open to NATO troops at Camp Adazi.
Adams reported the incident to Canadian military police at the camp shortly after it happened. Adams told this newspaper she was working at the canteen known as the Commons when she saw an Albanian soldier, whom she knew. The two greeted each other but then the Albanian grabbed her left breast, telling Adams, “Oh, you are very strong.”
Canadian military police told Adams that, under NATO rules, they had no jurisdiction to investigate even though the incident took place at a Canadian facility.
Latvian military police were brought in to examine the case but Adams pointed out they did not interview any witnesses. The interviews conducted were only with her and the Albanian soldier, she added.
On Dec. 14, Latvian military police decided they would not investigate further. “No details were given as to why the investigation has concluded,” Canadian military police documents noted.
However, Canadian military police did create a “shadow file” on Jan. 3, 2023 with the details of the incident. (A shadow file is a Canadian Forces document about an issue the military has an interest in but not direct control over.) Those details and that report do not dispute Adams’ version of events. “On 3 Dec 2022, the victim was working as a civilian employee when a military member from another nation touched them inappropriately and without their consent,” the shadow file report added.
Adams was told, according to the Canadian military documents, that she wasn’t allowed to see any investigative records and would have to file an Access to Information request to obtain such material. Adams filed that request and received heavily censored documents.
Shortly after the assault, Adams’ contract was ended two months early by CFMWS. That decision was made “in order to ensure there is no further risk to your health,” according to a Feb. 3 letter sent to Adams by the organization. CFMWS gave her $11,833, which paid her out for the early termination of her contract.
In response to Adams’ formal complaint to CFMWS in May, Ouellette wrote the former employee that the organization has “gone above and beyond in its efforts to support you and we encourage you to use the tools and resources at your disposal to your benefit as you work through this matter. We have addressed your concerns on numerous occasions.”
“As such, we will no longer entertain further complaints or correspondence from you regarding this issue,” Ouellette added in his May 10 response.
While Canadian Forces documents refer to Adams as a victim of a sexual assault, the various correspondence Adams received from CFMWS does not use that term. Instead, the CFMWS correspondence includes terms such as ”formal complaint about inappropriate touching”, “your situation” and “the incident”.
National Defence noted in a statement to this newspaper that Adams has received support from the CFMWS and has been referred to the Canadian Armed Forces’ Sexual Misconduct Response Centre for additional support. “CFMWS takes its responsibilities towards its employees very seriously and is working with the CAF and NATO partners to ensure any investigation is supported,” the National Defence statement noted.
The Latvian Armed Forces responded to this newspaper in an email statement, stating an investigation was conducted into the incident but added there was “no discernible wrongdoing that could be properly classified and interpreted as sexual harassment.”
An additional review was also done and it “concluded that there were no indications of a criminal offence,” according to the Latvian Armed Forces.
But a separate Latvian report obtained by Adams through the Access to Information law doesn’t dispute that the NATO soldier grabbed her breast. But it explained that “it does not follow that the mentioned actions were carried out with a certain intention or purpose, or were they followed by comments of an offensive, humiliating or sexual nature.”
However, in its response, the Latvian military also claimed mistakenly that Adams was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.
“They never conducted a real investigation,” said Adams. “They didn’t even spell my name right in their report and they think I’m in the Canadian military. Their whole response has been a joke.”
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
