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Fired OneBC staffer claims ‘malicious’ termination

A man and a woman in an office.
OneBC party leader Dallas Brodie (left) seen with former party executive director Paul Ratchford. X/Dallas Brodie

A former staffer with BC’s small far-right party is accusing its leader of bullying and “maliciously” firing him.

It’s the same employee accused of regularly posting racist comments online and whose firing was connected to the new political party’s implosion late last year.

Othman Mekhloufi now claims party leader MLA Dallas Brodie frequently insulted, harassed and behaved abusively toward him, then defamed him in public after he was fired in December, according to court documents.

Mekhloufi said Brodie “maliciously terminated” both him and the party’s former executive director, Paul Ratchford.

He is now petitioning the court in an effort to get a copy of a text message from Ratchford.

Brodie allegedly sent the text to a man named Dan Grenier in which she stated her intentions to both fire and defame Mekhloufi, according to court documents.

Grenier sent a copy of that text to Ratchford, and Mekhloufi is seeking his copy because an attempt to compel Brodie or Grenier to turn it over in discovery “risks destruction of evidence,” according to the petition.

When Mekhloufi was fired, the party splintered and it lost its official party status and Brodie was ousted as its leader.

Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong briefly took over leadership until Brodie wrangled it back.

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Levi Landry

Levi is a recent graduate of the Communications, Culture, & Journalism program at Okanagan College and is now based in Kamloops. After living in the BC for over four years, he finds the blue collar and neighbourly environment in the Thompson reminds him of home in Saskatchewan. Levi, who has previously been published in Kelowna’s Daily Courier, is passionate about stories focussed on both social issues and peoples’ experiences in their local community. If you have a story or tips to share, you can reach Levi at 250 819 3723 or email LLandry@infonews.ca.

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