Public Accounts Committee on Nov. 25th, 2024

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you very much. That is your time, Mr. Perkins.

Next is Ms. Yip.

You have the floor for six minutes, please.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Ms. Kolbuc, for coming today.

How many employees were you responsible for on your team?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

That would change over time. It was approximately 10 employees. That might not be exactly right.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Why would that change?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

It was if I took on additional responsibilities or if we recruited additional people to support the work the foundation was doing. I was there for eight years, so over time there were different structures.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

How would you describe your leadership style during your time at SDTC?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

Some of the feedback I would get from my team is that often I have a genuine caring for the people within my team.

I would describe my leadership style as very empathetic, kind and supportive, as well as high performing. I would always have high expectations for the team that I led, but would certainly want to ensure that they had the support they needed to achieve the goals they had in front of them. I'm very clear in my communication to them. I'm accessible, should they need to speak with me.

Those would be attributes of my leadership style that I always held in every leadership role I've been given.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

I take note of the qualities you've just mentioned, but it's also noted by many employees that there was significant staff turnover during the tenure of Leah Lawrence as president and CEO.

Would you say that this is accurate?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

What I would say is that in any organization there is turnover. The foundation did track those turnover rates. They were within the industry averages.

I also believe that there was a review of retention rates within the McCarthy Tétrault report. I seem to recall that I read that. It was deemed to be within an acceptable or normal range of turnover.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

In your opening statement, you said you were surprised and saddened by the allegations from former staff or staff.

[Zoë Kolbuc]

It was very sad to hear the allegations brought forward because I've always strived to foster an inclusive and supportive workplace and to ensure that everyone's voices are heard and that people feel respected. The allegations are very much not in line with the values that I have as a leader.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

How would you compare your view of your leadership style with statements from multiple former employees saying that SDTC had a toxic culture and workplace environment during the tenure of Leah Lawrence as president and CEO?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

I would say that those don't align with the vast majority of employees at the foundation today.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

What about in the past?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

I would not say that it was the experience. I would just ask you to look at.... There was a very thorough and comprehensive report of all of the allegations that were brought forward. The conclusions of that report say that it was a view of a minority of people.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

These same former employees have alleged incidents of verbal abuse and public shouting. How do you respond to these claims?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

I do not shout. I do not shout at my children in my home. I do not shout at my employees at the workplace. The voice, the tone and the tenor that I'm using with you today is consistent with how I operate in a professional environment as well.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

A former project manager at SDTC stated that, “Nothing about working with, in or around this organization gives me the confidence that the individuals in management would admit to problems if they were found.”

Why would a former employee so publicly criticize the organization like this?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

I'm not certain why a former employee made those statements, but what I can say is that the employee, along with all employees at SDTC and all former employees, were invited to fully participate in the review of HR practices that was commissioned by the Minister of Innovation and Science, supported by the Department of Justice. People were invited to speak freely in that review, and the conclusions on those matters are contained in those reports that are on the public record.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

There are also claims that employees experienced a hostile work environment under your leadership. Were you aware of any concerns raised by staff about workplace culture?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

I became aware—just give me a minute here, please—of the allegations against me when I began receiving anonymous emails, fraudulent emails that had been established in my name, that contained many of the allegations that you are quoting today. That was how I was first informed of the allegations made against me. It was very upsetting for me. I have never had anyone take my name and create anonymous emails to communicate broadly and publicly all of these allegations.

I'm going to take a minute.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Do you want to have a glass of water?

[Zoë Kolbuc]

Yes, I'll do that.

I'm ready for the next questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Ms. Yip, I'm afraid that is your time. I was going to ask the same thing of the witness.

Ms. Kolbuc, take a second.

The next member will be asking questions in French. I just want to double-check and make sure you have the interpretation turned on.

[Zoë Kolbuc]

I'm ready.