UNFORGETTABLE SAGAS, SCOOPS AND SCANDALS
 from Toronto Life’slong-form archives

Dear Reader,

Earlier this month, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ordered Hamilton Health Sciences to pay $26,500 to Irene Cybulsky, its former head of cardiac surgery. The hospital network must also change how it investigates claims of discrimination and consult with an external specialist on issues related to gender discrimination and leadership. In 2016, when Cybulsky was dismissed from her high-profile position, the expectation was that she would remain a cardiac surgeon at the hospital. Instead, she filed a complaint with the HRTO, closed her surgical practice, went to law school and represented herself at hearings against her former bosses. This week, we revisit her story along with that of a junior partner at a prominent law firm who was fired after alleging gender discrimination—and then sued her former employer for $12 million.

The Only Woman in the Room

Irene Cybulsky was a superstar surgeon—the first woman in Canada to head a cardiac surgery division. When she was replaced with a man, she found a novel way to seek justice

BY CHRISTINA FRANGOU | DECEMBER 20, 2021

In 2009, Irene Cybulsky was promoted to head of cardiac surgery at Hamilton Health Sciences. It was a complicated job. The division handled more than 1,700 surgeries a year, making it one of the busiest and most strained centres in the country. Cybulsky set out to transform her workplace, implementing changes that were wildly unpopular with her male colleagues. As Christina Frangou’s deep dive into Cybulsky’s termination shows, seismic shifts rarely happen without fallout. But how steep should the price of change be? And who exactly should pay it?

The Problem With Women

At a prestigious law firm, junior partner Diane LaCalamita watched as less-experienced male attorneys were promoted above her. She complained, got fired and is now suing the firm for $12 million

BY KELLY PULLEN | MAY 10, 2010

When Diane LaCalamita joined McCarthy Tétrault, in the early aughts, she brought coveted expertise in IP and litigation and a willingness to put in long hours. But, shortly after being hired, she was asked to hand over files to her peers and to conduct research for them. She was also the only litigator in her group expected to provide senior-level advice while carrying out junior work. When a male colleague was promoted above her, it dawned on LaCalamita that the larger issue may have something to do with her being a woman. Thirteen years after Kelly Pullen explored how her case divided Bay Street, the fight for gender equity in the workplace rages on.

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