Dozens of people gathered in Churchill Square Saturday to protest workplace harassment, which an estimated one-fifth of City of Edmonton employees face according to a 2016 survey.

In the two-year-old report, 19 per cent of the city’s public servants recalled being harassed or discriminated against at work.

In a new report, it was revealed 235 new complaints had been filed by city employees between Jan. 10 and May 30, 2018—nearly equivalent to two complaints per day. Sixty of the complaints were considered eligible for investigation.

The group said Saturday’s event was organized to pressure the city for a better complaint process.

“A lot of employees haven’t felt heard,” said Cecily Poohkay, a city worker.

“We know people tend to not report when these things occur because they fear retaliation, even if it’s done anonymously. Just by the details and what they describe, they’re worried they’ll be identified.”

The city’s auditor has been tasked with looking into the issue while the city reviews the process for handling complaints. Discussion has, in part, focused on creating a new body that could deal with reports anonymously.

For now, however, no permanent solution is in place.

In addition to updating its complaint processes, the city has been advised to update the policy and definitions regarding harassment and discrimination, and create an education plan.

Poohkay said there was a second reason she and others gathered on Saturday: to demonstrate to others there is strength in speaking out about offences.

“It’s easy to ignore numbers like one in five; it’s much harder to ignore people and their stories.”

With files from Timm Bruch