City of Saskatoon says manager wasn't fired for calling staff 'my humans'

A City of Saskatoon supervisor says she was fired for using a gender-inclusive term, but the city argues this is not the case.

A City of Saskatoon supervisor says she was fired for using a gender-inclusive term, but the city argues this is not the case.

"After over 20 years of loyal service with the City of Saskatoon I was fired for being queer," Jackie Morley said at a Saskatchewan Federation of Labour news conference Thursday morning.

"I am shocked and saddened that the city has taken exception to my commitment to building an inclusive work environment by adopting a gender-neutral term."

Morley, who worked as a superintendent in the city's roads department, claims she was let go after refusing to stop using the term "humans" to refer to her co-workers.

"I was presented with a memo, which I was asked to sign, requesting for me to stop using the word human or humans when referring to human beings. I was very upset and refused to sign the memo," Morley said.

She claims that after seeking union advice she formally told the city she would not be signing the document.

Morley said she was then summoned to city hall the next morning and fired "without any explanation."