Prince George city councillor Brian Skakun is joining the ranks of some of Canada's top whistleblowers, after receiving the 2012 Golden Whistle Award.
Non-profit groups Canadians for Accountability and Peace Order and Good Government (POGG) Canada created the award in 2008 to recognize Canadians who put their careers, livelihoods and reputations on the line to expose wrongdoing in government.
The award will be presented to Skakun on March 12 during a ceremony in Ottawa.
Skakun said he hopes to use the media attention to raise awareness about the issues of workplace harassment and the lack of protection for whistleblowers.
"I'm truly humbled by receiving this award. [But] the people who should be winning awards are the people who are the victims of workplace harassment. They're the real heroes," Skakun said.
On May 24, 2011 Skakun was convicted under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for releasing the Heller Report - a confidential city human resources report detailing alleged harassment of city employees working at the RCMP detachment - to the CBC in 2008. Skakun has appealed the conviction to the B.C. Supreme Court, which has not ruled on the appeal.
"The issue of lack of whistleblower protection for elected officials is something I'm going to raise in Ottawa," Skakun said.
Canadians for Accountability president and founder Allan Cutler said, in a press release, that whistleblowers play an important role in society and often pay a personal price for their courage.
"Whistleblowers improve our democracy at great cost to themselves and their families," Cutler said in a press release.
Cutler is the former senior procurement manager for Public Works and Government Services Canada who exposed the Sponsorship Scandal. He was presented the 2010 Golden Whistle Award.
POGG Canada founder Harry Weldon, who chairs the award selection committee, said Skakun was one of four candidates nominated for the award this year.
"Part of our mandate is to encourage people who have the integrity and, perhaps, temerity to know when something should be made public," Weldon said. "It's not the easiest thing to do, as you may understand. Here is a municipal councillor who has... brought out a problem we have with all levels of government. The more I looked at him, the more I was impressed with him."
Like Skakun, he said, many of the past recipients have faced reprisals or even criminal charges for going public.
The first recipient, former Cornwall Police Service constable Perry Dunlop, was in jail for contempt of court when he received the award, Weldon said. Dunlop conducted an off-duty investigation, and finally exposed, police and government cover-up of child sex abuse.
Dunlop's investigation eventually resulted in a 1997 investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Cornwall Public Inquiry in 2008-09.
Other recipients of the award include Sean Bruyea, a Gulf War veteran who exposed unfair treatment of veterans, and Bernard Payeur who exposed fraud in the Department of Foreign Affairs in the 1980s.
Prince George Mayor Shari Green said city council addressed the issue on Oct. 21, when council decided against censuring Skakun for his actions.
"Coun. Skakun apologized to council and staff and said he'd have liked to do things differently," Green said. "From my perspective the matter is closed."
Green said with an appeal of Skakun's conviction still before the courts, she is unable to comment further on the matter.
