B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
An Apple employee who led organizing efforts against harassment and discrimination within the company said she has been fired.
Janneke Parrish, a program manager at Apple and one of the organizers of the #AppleToo movement, was suspended late last week and terminated on Thursday, she told CNN Business in an interview on Friday.
Parrish said Apple told her she was fired for deleting files from her work devices before turning them over to the company as part of an internal investigation into leaks to the press.
The move marks the latest escalation of a growing rift between Apple and its employees, who in recent months have broken with the company's historic culture of secrecy to speak out on controversial hiring decisions, alleged pay disparities and remote work policies.
Parrish and a colleague, Cher Scarlett, create #AppleToo in August to help Apple employees "organize and protect ourselves," according to the movement's website.
They called on coworkers to share stories of issues they faced including racism, sexism and discrimination in order to outline "changes we expect to see Apple make."
Parrish told CNN Business Friday they received hundreds of reports in the weeks since then, about incidents that "range the gamut from sexism and ageism to disclosures of rape and suicide."
Apple did not comment specifically on Parrish's firing. Scarlett, who remains at the company, declined to comment.
"We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace," Apple spokesperson Josh Rosenstock said in a statement to CNN. "We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters."
According to Parrish, the company began investigating her on September 30, days after CEO Tim Cook sent a memo to employees warning that "people who leak confidential information do not belong here." The memo, and the leaks from a prior town hall meeting that prompted it, were first reported by The Verge.
Parrish, who said she was not behind the leaks but had spoken publicly to the press about problems at Apple, was asked to hand in her work-issued devices to the company but she deleted some personal information beforehand.
"Apple encourages us to merge our private and work devices fairly thoroughly for testing purposes," she said. "I had some private conversations, private information such as Robinhood investments, things that frankly aren't Apple's business to know."
She said those deletions were what Apple cited as the reason for firing her.
Parrish directed questions on whether she plans further action against Apple to her lawyer, Chris Albanese, who told CNN Business that he is "exploring all different avenues on behalf of our client."
The goal behind starting #AppleToo, Parrish said, was calling attention to "systemic issues" within Apple's culture that have been "systematically swept under the rug" by the company.
"One thing about Apple's culture is that it is a deeply secretive company," she said, adding that employees in the office often don't know what the person next to them is working on. "With #AppleToo and with remote work ... we're no longer alone, we're no longer isolated, and we're recognizing that what one of us experiences, many of us experience."
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.