Disabled INAC employee having troubles.(news)

Wind Speaker, May, 2007 by Barnsley, Paul

Josee Guest, the staff Ombudsman for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), first started raising alerts about the way the department deals with employee disability issues in her second annual report in 2003.

As the person designated to help employees struggling with disabling injuries or illnesses--as well as other matters--Guest hears from many INAC employees. As with any large employer, there are many points of friction between management and staff.

The staff Ombudsman's office, created at INAC in 1990, is designed to be an impartial and confidential place where employees can go for advice--or even just to blow off a little steam--if they're having difficulty at work.

In her 2003 report to the highest-ranking INAC bureaucrat, the...