B.C. tribunal dismisses damage claim against man who shared ex's nudes with employer
The decision posted Tuesday says the woman sent her then-partner photos and videos of herself exposing body parts and engaging in sexual acts that were taken at her workplace during business hours.
The man told the tribunal that he later shared the images with the woman's employer to expose her workplace misconduct, but the woman claimed it was done with malicious intent to cause her embarrassment and reputational harm.
The names of the man and woman are protected under a publication ban.
Tribunal member Megan Stewart says in the ruling that the woman didn't have a reasonable expectation of privacy because the images were taken in an office accessible to others and that it was 'in the public interest' for the employer to be told.
The tribunal dismissed the claim and determined the woman was not entitled to damages under the province's Intimate Images Protection Act.
The act allows the tribunal to order compensation for aggravated or punitive damages of up to $5,000.
The decision says the applicant must first prove the respondent shared or threatened to share an 'intimate image' depicting the applicant without their consent. If that is proven, then the applicant must show they are entitled to claim damages.
It says most of the images submitted in this case met the the first part of the test, but the second part was not.
Stewart says in her ruling that the applicant had a reasonable expectation that her partner would not share the images, but that it was in the public interest for her employer to be informed about the photos taken on company time.
'In particular, I found a person who takes otherwise intimate recordings of themselves at work does not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in those images to the extent they are shared with their employer for the purpose of investigating alleged misconduct, whatever the sharer's motives,' the written ruling says.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Man who caused fatal crash gets 4 years in prison
His voice choking with emotion, Matthew Mason struggled to get his words out as he stood up in a Winnipeg courtroom to face the family of the woman who was killed in a car crash that he had caused. Mason, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving causing death for an August 2023 collision that took the life of 50-year-old Lisa Bland. On Monday, he was sentenced to four years in prison. 'I know you guys look at me like I'm a monster,' Mason said through tears. 'I know nothing is going to bring her back… I ruined a couple of families,' Mason said. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/John Woods Matthew Mason, 43, was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for causing the August 2023 collision that took the life of 50-year-old Lisa Bland. Still reeling with their own grief, Bland's family responded with compassion and forgiveness. 'We don't think you are a monster,' said Bland's daughter Suzanne, seated with several family members in the court gallery. 'But I'm going to go home. She's never coming home,' Mason said. Mason was originally charged with an additional count of impaired driving causing death. The charge was later stayed by the Crown. The fatal collision took place on Matheson Island, about 150 kilometres north of Gimli. Court heard Mason was behind the wheel of a 2018 GMC Sierra, while Bland was in the front passenger seat. He was driving on a two-lane gravel road around 5 p.m. when he came up behind another vehicle at an intersection that was waiting to turn left. 'Rather than wait, the accused went into the left-side ditch to pass the vehicle,' Crown attorney Thomas Boult told provincial court Judge Don Slough, reading from an agreed statement of facts. Mason didn't brake as he drove nearly 500 metres, crashing into a tree and a concrete planter before ramming into a metal fence outside a cemetery. 'The top rail of the metal fence entered the vehicle and cut off the top half of Lisa Bland's head,' Boult said, eliciting a pained cry from one of her family members in the court gallery. A police officer who was called to the crash site said it was 'one of the most horrific scenes' he had ever responded to and that it had a 'significant impact' on his mental health, Boult said. 'To this day he can't be around people who drink alcohol because it brings back memories of what happened,' he said. Court did not hear how Mason and Bland knew each other or how they came to be together in the vehicle. Police at the scene said Mason smelled of alcohol, 'but did not otherwise show any signs of impairment,' Boult said. Mason told police: 'If you give me your gun, I will kill myself,' and insisted he had consumed only two drinks and was not drunk. Mason initially agreed to give a breath sample but became belligerent with officers and deliberately thwarted early attempts to provide a sample. A breath sample provided more than six hours later estimated his blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash to be .09, just over the legal limit for driving. Mason had a criminal record at the time of the crash, including convictions for assault and drug offences, but had remained out of trouble with the law since 2016. Mason had been working as a fisherman's helper and moving his life in a positive direction, said defence lawyer Manny Bhangu. 'Not a day goes by that he doesn't wake up thinking about (the crash), that he doesn't have a nightmare about it,' he said. 'He knows what he has done is absolutely horrible.' Family members described Bland as a strong, caring woman who held her family together during times of tragedy. 'With everyone, I will slowly heal, let go and forgive,' Suzanne Bland wrote in a victim impact statement read out in court. 'If I could do anything right now, it would be sitting with you, having coffee, talking, laughing,' she said. 'Our cackles, I can still hear them.' Mitchell Bland, Lisa's son, applauded Mason for addressing his family and taking responsibility for what he had done. 'Respect to you for saying something, it takes a lot of guts to say that,' he said. Mitchell said his mother stepped in to care for his young son after the boy's younger brother was fatally mauled by a dog and Mitchell was in jail. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. 'She held us all together,' he said. 'In the time she cared (for my son), he changed completely. (He) was mute, but started expressing himself. He talks a bit now. He cared for his grandma a lot. I don't know how he is coping with losing her.' Slough described Mason's driving as 'incomprehensible' and said he 'completely accept(ed)' Mason was remorseful. 'I appreciate the generosity of the (Bland) family in dealing with this in the way they have — having a sense of loss, but not a sense of vengeance,' Slough said. 'I wish I could say something to make it better, but I can't.' At the end of the hearing, several of Mason's family members approached Bland's family and shared words and hugs before filing out of court. Dean PritchardCourts reporter Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean. Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
11 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Highway 11 closure during manhunt posed safety risks, stranded commuter says
A driver who was stuck on a major highway in Ontario's cottage country on Canada Day due to a police investigation says the situation posed safety risks to commuters stranded in their cars for hours. Nancy Turley says she was driving on Highway 11 after leaving her home in Milford Bay, Ont., at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday for training at a Salvation Army camp in Georgina later that morning when she came upon hundreds of vehicles at a standstill. Police had blocked a stretch of the highway after an armed home invasion in the Hillside East area, east of Huntsville, at around 5 a.m. Ontario Provincial Police also issued an advisory on social media asking drivers stuck on Highway 11 to stay in their vehicles and lock their doors during the manhunt for the suspects. Turley says the decision to keep people waiting in their cars was far riskier than letting them go because it could have led to a hostage situation. Police later said they arrested six people in connection with the home invasion. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Vehicle mitigation measures, overhead drones aimed to keep Calgary Stampede safe
CALGARY – Police and organizers say they're confident security measures at the upcoming Calgary Stampede would prevent a vehicle attack like the deadly one at the Lapu Lapu Day celebration in Vancouver earlier this year. More than 1.3 million people are expected to attend the 10-day rodeo and exhibition, which begins with a parade on Friday. The Stampede grounds will be temporarily turned into a police district with a headquarters, incident commander, dispatcher and officers from across the city. And vehicle access to the grounds will be extremely limited, said Kerrie Blizard, director of public safety and environment at the Stampede. 'We're always making changes … at the entrances specifically. We've actually been utilizing vehicle mitigation barriers and strategies since before 2019,' Blizard told a news conference Wednesday. Eleven people were killed and nearly 30 were injured in April when an SUV rammed into Vancouver's crowded Lapu Lapu street festival celebrating the Filipino-Canadian community. The man accused in that attack, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, faces several counts of second-degree murder. Acting Insp. Scott Campbell, incident commander at the Stampede, said plenty of officers will be monitoring the parade route as well as the grounds. A vehicle attack is unlikely, he said. 'There aren't going to be any vehicles. There's good vehicle mitigation and we don't expect any issues on that,' Campbell said. 'District 1 surrounds the Stampede grounds, and District 1 is going to be fully staffed during Stampede to respond to any events in the downtown core and in the grounds.' Campbell said the public is urged to report any suspicious activity, including bags left unattended. Police will also be using new drones that were purchased for the recent G7 leaders' summit in nearby Kananaskis, he said. Drone use, other than by officers, will not be allowed in the downtown. 'Large events are a challenge for the police but we're used to planning for these large events every year, including our recent experience with G7. And we are confident we'll be ready for Stampede.' He said the biggest concerns for police will be people partying too much, thefts and drugs. The Stampede runs to July 13. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2025.
