Employees in Mississauga's transportation and works department were tied up with duct tape, spanked until they were bruised and humiliated at the behest of one of their supervisors, a city official says.

Some of the bizarre abuse was videotaped and shown to an independent investigations company hired by the city when the “inappropriate incidents” came to light, confirmed Martin Powell, the department's commissioner.

The supervisor who was found to have instigated the physical and mental humiliation is still employed by the city, Powell says.

“I'm not at liberty to get into the details of it (but) I will conclude the supervisor is still an employee,” he said.

“But there was not just (the) supervisor involved, there were other employees.”

Reached at her home Tuesday night, Mayor Hazel McCallion said she would be following up on what happened.

“I'm aware of the situation,” she said. “I'm asking for all the reports — to be debriefed on all the reports — and then I will be able to comment.”

Powell says the investigation began when an employee brought a cellphone video to the department's human resources managers showing two employees being duct-taped.

The tape showed two employees facing each other with their legs, hands and bodies taped up.

One frame grab from the video obtained by the CBC shows what appears to be a man bound and lying in a fetal-like position. Duct tape is wrapped around his torso and legs.

“Based upon that we made a determination that we wanted to hire an external investigator,” Powell says.

“We did a very thorough investigation, interviewed many employees and there was substantiated inappropriate conduct going on.”

Powell said he was constrained by legal advice from revealing just what that conduct included.

“I don't think it's appropriate that I get involved in all the details,” he said, although he did confirm a CBC report Tuesday that said bruising, spanking, whacks to the groin and mental humiliation had occurred weekly and for years.

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“I would just like to state that there was inappropriate behaviour that is not condoned by the city,” he said.

“There was significant discipline taken.”

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