CBC executives and Ghomeshi
The enforced leaves came to be known publicly after a memo to employees about them was distributed Monday. Chuck Thompson, the CBC spokesperson who has dealt with the Ghomeshi fallout, confirmed to media that Todd Spencer, executive director of human resources and industrial relations for English services, and Chris Boyce, the executive director of CBC-Radio, were placed on leaves and that the decision is related to the Ghomeshi affair.
He acknowledged both of the leaves were a “management decision” but said little else. “As I’m sure you can appreciate,” Thompson told Nick Patch of the Canadian Press in a phone interview. “Given our obligations of confidentiality to both Chris Boyce and Todd Spencer, we won’t be making any further comments.”
Mr. Spencer and Mr. Boyce were the two executives who conducted employee interviews about Jian Ghomeshi and the goings-on during his time as the host of the CBC radio show The ‘Q.’ It is not known in what way, if any, their investigation is connected to their enforced leaves.
After the investigations by Spencer and Boyce, neither of whom have commented on the day’s developments, the CBC commissioned well-known labor lawyer Janice Rubin to conduct a more independent investigation, focusing on how the entire affair was handled by the CBC.
Ghomeshi court appearance
Since his firing from the CBC on October 26th, there has been speculation on how much the CBC knew of Mr. Ghomeshi’s alleged poor treatment of staff at the public broadcaster. One former producer of the show, Kathryn Borel, who no longer works at the CBC, called Mr. Ghomeshi a “monster.”
Mr. Ghomeshi’s second appearance in a Toronto court on four charges of sexual assault and one of overcoming resistance by choking comes on Thursday.
His lawyer, Marie Henein, has said her client will plead not guilty.
