The spat between Newmarket-Aurora’s Progressive Conservative MPP, Dawn Gallagher Murphy, and her former Constituency Office Manager, Teena Bogner, is gripping stuff.

Earlier this month I took myself down to the Ontario Labour Relations Board in Toronto’s University Avenue and asked to see the file. I was shown Bogner’s complaint and Gallagher Murphy’s response but the supporting documentation was withheld for legal reasons. But all will be revealed at the Hearing which is expected in February 2025.  (Photo: Bogner right)

Their separate accounts of what happened between 9 April 2024 and 10 June 2024 – when Bogner was sacked - could not be more different. Gallagher Murphy accuses Bogner of creating an “untenable work environment”.

Imperious

For her part, Bogner brands Gallagher Murphy, an imperious bully:

“The Member’s erratic and hostile behaviour continued, including unnecessary interruptions during the Applicant’s (Bogner’s) personal time, derogatory comments about colleagues, hanging up on the Applicant, and an overall toxic work environment that affected the Applicant’s health.”

Gallagher Murphy insists it was Bogner who pestered her for the job and it was she (Bogner) who was the disrupter in the office. She was the one who allegedly harassed other staff!

It seems to be a classic case of “she said, she said”.

Deceit

So (not to put too fine a point on it) who is being deceitful?

Being the kind of person Bogner is - a stickler for process and follower of rules and protocols - she may well have rubbed people up the wrong way as she tried to create order out of chaos in Gallagher Murphy’s office. I can well believe there was a titanic clash of personalities. 

In her Linked-In profile, Bogner describes herself this way:

"I am an inspiring, motivated, and collaborative leader committed to achieving, and exceeding, strategic goals. I lead diverse teams in a fast paced and demanding environment to facilitate and deliver leading edge governance policies and procedures, change management, and elections. I have significant government relations practice, from my work within the legislative assembly and non-for-profits."

Taxpayers' Advocacy

Years ago, when Bogner was President of the Newmarket Taxpayers’ Advocacy Group (NTAG) - and without asking her first - I put her on my mailing list as I was regularly blogging on Town issues and I wanted her to be aware of my thinking. 

When she got the (temporary) job of returning officer for Newmarket-Aurora in the 2019 Federal Election – an important role carrying with it a great deal of responsibility - she bluntly told me to take her name off my mailing list as she had to be scrupulously impartial. No problem. I did so immediately. So would a person like this invent these interactions with Gallagher Murphy? 

Economical with the actualité

On balance I prefer to believe Bogner’s version of events. 

Harassment

Gallagher Murphy says 

“At no time did Bogner make any complaint of harassment in convention (sic) of the Caucus Harassment Policy or take any acts as contemplated by the OHSA.”

That sounds pretty definitive. But some of the material Bogner relies on may be in the video or phone recordings or in the other supporting documentation which, as I say, we cannot yet see.

The stakes are high for Bogner and Gallagher Murphy.

They can’t both be telling the truth.

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To read Bogner's complaint and Gallagher Murphy's response click "read more" below.

Teena Bogner's complaint

Bogner's supporting documentation currently withheld

 Dawn Gallagher Murphy's response to Bogner's complaint:

Gallagher Murphy's supporting documentation, currently withheld