Businessman Colin MacDonald named in lawsuit alleging sexual harassment
Colin MacDonald, the former chairman and co-founder of Clearwater Seafoods, is being sued by a Halifax professional fundraiser.
The suit, filed in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, says Elizabeth LeClair worked for the IWK Foundation in 2019 as the manager of annual giving, and that her job had her in frequent contact with MacDonald, who was “at all relevant times” a major donor to the foundation.
“Liz’s role at the IWK Foundation required her to regularly meet, communicate and attend events with major donors, including MacDonald,” says the filing.
To defend against the action, MacDonald or his counsel must file a notice of defence with the court within 15 days if that notice is filed in Nova Scotia, or 30 days elsewhere in Canada. The clock on that deadline started Sept. 28, the day the suit was filed.
LeClair is represented by lawyers in Toronto and proposes that any trial be held in Halifax.
Under the heading MacDonald’s Sexually Inappropriate Conduct, the suit alleges that within a few meetings he began to make sexual comments to LeClair, making her “acutely uncomfortable,” but, since MacDonald was so important to the foundation, she tried to brush it off.
Among the claims, none of which have been proven in court, MacDonald is alleged to have once said LeClair “owed him” and emailed her to suggest what might happen during a trip to Antigonish to secure another donor’s large gift that MacDonald had helped make happen.
“MacDonald also asked if she had ever thought about having sex with him or what it would be like to have sex with him. Although horrified by these questions, Liz feared angering MacDonald and felt unable to express her disgust while confined to his car,” claims the court filing.
After the trip to Antigonish, LeClair says, she tried to ensure any meetings with MacDonald were in a public place and tried to avoid interacting with him as much as possible.
LeClair filed a human rights complaint against Clearwater in relation to MacDonald’s alleged sexual misconduct, but the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission ruled it did not have jurisdiction in the matter.
The suit claims MacDonald’s conduct toward LeClair caused her to suffer emotional and psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, frequent triggers causing emotional distress, impaired relationship with her spouse and “further and other harms as will be disclosed prior to trial.”
She is seeking to be reimbursed for past and future therapy, counselling and treatment and for “economic loss resulting from the impairments to her earning capacity.”
The suit seeks relief of $200,000 in general and aggravated damages, $100,000 in punitive damages, plus special damages, interest, costs and “such further and other relief” the court deems just.
