Village treasurer fired because of Minto, Chipman merger challenges termination
Wendy Flowers says she was fired without cause from her position with Village of Minto
Wendy Flowers, the village's former treasurer and clerk, said she worked through 2022 helping co-ordinate the merger of Minto and Chipman, which took effect on Jan. 1 as a result of local government reform.
She said she was assured throughout the process that her job was secure and that she'd remain employed, in some capacity, after the two villages were merged.
But on Dec. 15, Flowers said she was called into a meeting by Don Ferguson, the transition facilitator working for the Department of Local Government and Local Governance Reform, and handed a letter of termination.
"I was shocked. I didn't really know what to say," Flowers said.
"[Ferguson] said … there is no reason, it's without cause, that my position was being eliminated and then I had until the next day at three o'clock to remove my personal belongings from my office."
The
Village of Minto was merged with the Village of Chipman and surrounding
local service districts to create the municipality of Grand Lake. (Shane Fowler/CBC)
Flowers said she was first hired by the village in July 2016 as both the clerk and treasurer for the municipality.
In November 2021, the provincial government announced it was slashing the number of local government entities by forcing mergers of dozens of municipalities and neighbouring rural areas, and combining remaining rural areas into new, larger rural districts.
Local Government and Local Governance Reform Minister Daniel Allain led the initiative, which saw 22 per cent of the provincial population go from living in unincorporated local service districts to living in enlarged municipalities, as of January.
Minto and Chipman were two municipalities that were combined, along with a handful of local service districts to create Grand Lake.
Flowers said part of her work in 2022 was helping prepare the Village of Minto for the planned merger.
"We were taken by surprise, obviously, when the minister announced the amalgamation of Minto and Chipman — two independent villages," Flowers said.
"But we were quickly assured that there would be no job losses. Everybody, all hands, were needed. We needed everybody to be on board to make this work."
Applied for several new positions
Flowers said a position of chief administrative officer for Grand Lake was posted in advance of the merger, which she applied for and was interviewed.
She said she lost to Michelle Dickinson, the former clerk and treasurer for the Village of Chipman, however, Flowers said she was told she'd still work with the new municipality as clerk.
Flowers said a position for treasurer was then posted, which she also applied for, however, the notice of termination was given shortly after.
She said since her firing, she hasn't heard any follow up about the treasurer position she applied for, and has also noticed the municipality has since posted a job opening for a municipal clerk.
Flowers said she hasn't applied for that posting, adding she thinks it would be "pointless."
"I had the job and I was dismissed from it, so even though they say that it's been without cause, it certainly doesn't make me look good."
Asking for more severance
The Act Respecting Local Governance Reform received royal assent in December 2021 giving Allain special powers with respect to the transition of communities into new municipalities.
One of those sections specifically gave Allain the power to fire a municipal employee with reasonable notice, or with payment instead of notice.
That section of the act is cited in Flowers's termination letter, along with an offer of 16-weeks pay in lieu of notice, in exchange for giving up her right to take legal action against the Village of Minto, the municipality of Grand Lake, the province or the minister.
Daniel
Allain, New Brunswick's minister of local governance reform, announced
in 2021 plans to cut the number of local government entities from 340 to
fewer than 100. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
Flowers hasn't agreed to those terms, and in response, Andrew Rouse, her lawyer, wrote a letter to Ferguson to say that Flowers should have been given the role of clerk for the new municipality, considering Chipman's former clerk had already been hired to be the new chief administrative officer.
"ln addition, the Minister and his staff, repeatedly assured all employees that if they were no longer able to keep their job due to the amalgamation, an alternative position would be found for the employee," Rouse said, in his letter.
"Wendy was also assured by you that she would not lose her job."
Rouse, in his letter, said Flowers is prepared to accept 15-months pay in lieu of notice as a result of her termination.
Allain did not provide an interview about Flowers's termination, and whether the same was done to municipal staff working in other villages that were part of mergers.
Vicky Lutes, a spokesperson for his department said in an email the goal was to ensure a role for all employees, and that it was achieved in the vast majority of entities.
"There were limited instances where the goal wasn't achieved," she said. "Given that these are human resource-related matters, we cannot comment on specifics."
Protecting municipal staff important: union
When local government reform was announced, the understanding was that firing municipal staff would be "the last possible resort," said Dan Murphy, executive director of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick.
"What we had understood from the department from the get-go is that they were going to try to minimize any type of job loss whether it was going to be by finding a position in another municipality or another … position within the municipality," he said.
Dan
Murphy, executive director of the Union of Municipalities of New
Brunswick, said the union told the Department of Local Government and
Local Governance Reform that it would be important for municipalities to
keep as many of their staff as possible. (Kandise Brown/Submitted)
Murphy said he doesn't know how many municipal staff have been fired as a result of local government reforms.
However, he said his union had communicated to Allain's department how important it would be to keep as many municipal employees as possible.
"We've mentioned to the department over and over again, you know, the importance of protecting municipal staff and ensuring that we don't lose that knowledge base," he said.
"There's a lot of years of experience, a lot of administrators, who are very good and know what's going on … so that experience is going to be really important."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
D. Andrew Rouse, Q.C. — Partner
Born
and raised in Fredericton, Andrew was called to the Bar in 1986 after
completing his education at the University of New Brunswick (BBA 1982,
LLB 1985).
Andrew enjoys playing tennis and golf and has been involved with
numerous local charities and organizations over the years. Some of his
professional affiliations include the Canadian Bar Association, the
York-Sunbury Law Society, and the Law Society of New Brunswick.
While he specializes in federal and provincial tax litigation, Andrew
also has extensive experience with civil litigation, personal injury,
labour and employment, wills, trusts and estates, insurance litigation,
commercial litigation, and real estate litigation.
Direct Line: 506-444-6581
Email: darouse@porlaw.com
Assistant: Kelly Constantine
Tel: 506-444-6571
Fax: 506-444-6550
| Local Government and Local Governance Reform |
Minto, Chipman ready to set aside differences for new municipality, say Grand Lake leaders
Some still concerned about possible loss of services
Their two respective hockey arenas are still called the Chipman Centennial Arena and the Minto Centennial Arena.
And the village offices in both places will continue to house the staff charged with providing municipal services residents enjoy.
But on paper, the two New Brunswick communities separated by a 20-minute drive will become part of a new municipality known as Grand Lake.
It's a merger that originally elicited opposition from its leaders and residents when it was first announced as part of the province's wider plan for local government reforms.
Now, members of the newly elected council of the municipality of Grand Lake say they're ready to work together as a cohesive community.
"I think it's great," said Kevin Nicklin, who won the mayor's seat by acclamation.
"I think that the two communities, Minto and Chipman, have come together well and we're looking forward to our strong future."
Mike Richardson, a Grand Lake councillor for the ward representing Minto, is also excited about the new municipality.
Grand Lake Coun. Mike Richardson says he's optimistic the merger will be a success. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
"I think we've got a bright future here," Richardson said.
"I think we're all in unison here that it's going to be bigger, better. It's going to be a positive thing for our community."
Nicklin and Richardson's comments represent a 180-degree pivot from what leaders of the two communities had to say about the merger when it was announced in fall 2021.
"I was completely blindsided," Keith West, the former mayor of Chipman, said at the time.
Meanwhile, Erica Barnett, Minto's former mayor, "was quite speechless" by the planned merger, and the idea her village would lose its sense of community was "really concerning" to her.
Barnett didn't run for any of the seats up for grabs in the Nov. 28, 2022, election for Grand Lake, and West lost his bid for one of the two councillor positions in what is now the Chipman ward.
Some concerns remain
While there's plenty of optimism among the new Grand Lake councillors, some still have reservations about what the merger could mean in the long run.
Chanda Klassen, elected in the Chipman ward, had served on the Chipman village council, and admits she was opposed to the merger when it was first proposed.
Grand
Lake Coun. Chanda Klassen said she is in favour of the merger but wants
to ensure the Chipman Centennial Arena doesn't get shut down just
because there's already an arena in Minto. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
"I felt that both Minto and Chipman were viable communities with a lot going for them, and I felt the physical distance was going to be a barrier," she said.
She's since come around to it but still worries Chipman could lose certain amenities in favour of consolidating them in one location — namely Minto.
For instance, the Centennial Arena built in Chipman in 1967 hosts minor league hockey teams and is home to the Big Dipper canteen, which she manages.
However, she said, she's noticed most of the hockey tournaments get booked at Minto's arena, and she's worried cost-saving measures could lead to Chipman's arena being closed.
"In Chipman we are wanting to focus on not losing ground," Klassen said.
"We have a beautiful arena here, which we want to see continue to be utilized. We want our schools to continue to serve the community, and our health centre, our library.
"So we're not wanting to lose any of our existing services and we recognize that it's going to all come down to, you know how we can afford all this, but I think the sentiment is there to keep all the communities in good shape."
Vernon Bishop has similar concerns.
Vernon
Bishop, owner of Bishop Towing, said he's concerned Chipman will lose
some of its services with the merger, such as the village's Service New
Brunswick. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
He's operated a towing company in Chipman for 45 years, and he fears the merger could lead to the village losing some of its services.
"So what's going to happen then with our Service New Brunswick here and our health clinic?" Bishop said.
"It's something that we need in the small area, and you can only imagine that … they'll be asked to lose some of this and we can't accept that. We have to work to try to keep what we have and improve on that."
Details to be worked out
The question of service cuts is difficult to predict, but "some type of change" will be inevitable, said Nicklin.
"Not everything's going to go to Minto and not everything's going to go to Chipman," the Grand Lake mayor said. "It's, you know, it's going to be what's best for the community."
Nicklin said the plan is to keep the village offices for both Minto and Chipman operating.
Grand
Lake Mayor Kevin Nicklin says he thinks residents from across the new
municipality are ready to move forward as one community. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
However, one of the first meetings will be used to decide which of those offices will host the regular council meetings.
Another question mark concerns the municipality's budget.
Nicklin said he hasn't seen how big this will be and worries it won't be large enough to cover road maintenance and other services the municipality will have to provide to areas that were formerly local service districts.
"If you go down to the lake, for example, you know, the roads are not necessarily in great shape. It's not well lit, there's no tourism, things like that, and they'll be looking for us to help out in that avenue."
Nicklin also recognizes that Minto and Chipman have their own distinct identities — one tied to a coal-mining industry of a bygone era, and the other tied to a booming forestry industry.
But, he said, now's the time for everyone to do what's best for the whole community.
"We just have to be open enough to do what's best for our community, not for any one particular group," Nicklin said.
"So you know, we'll take everybody's issues one at a time, and we'll deal with them the best we can."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
From: "Higgs, Premier Blaine (PO/CPM)" <Blaine.Higgs@gnb.ca>
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2021 21:19:42 +0000
Subject: RE: Attn Mayors Roseline Pelletier and Erica Barnett
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Due to the volume of incoming messages, this is an automated response
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Community Profile - Minto
Mayor
Erica Barnett
Nicole E. Bailey
Crystal Boudreau
Derrick Winston Quigley
Greg Smith
Address
420 Pleasant Dr.
Minto, NB E4B 2T3
County
Sunbury
Contact
Tel: 506 327-3383
Fax: 506 327-3041
Email: minto@nb.aibn.com
English
Community Profile - Chipman
Mayor
Keith V. West
Councillors
Danny J. Barton
Lindsey E. Fraser
Chanda L. Klassen
Shaun Ward
Address
10 Civic Count, Unit 1
Chipman, NB E4A 2H9
County
Queens
Contact
Tel: 506 339 6601
Fax: 506 339 6197
Email: chipmannb@gmail.com
English
Attn Mayors Roseline Pelletier and Erica Barnett
David Amos<david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com> | Fri, Nov 19, 2021 at 5:15 PM | |||
| To: bakerlac@nbnet.nb.ca, minto@nb.aibn.com | ||||
| Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, "blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca> | ||||
https://www.cbc.ca/news/ End of an era as Higgs government drops voter veto on municipal mergers Not everyone will miss plebiscites that slowed reforms for two decades Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Nov 19, 2021 4:24 PM AT ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail. Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2021 09:30:53 -0400 Subject: Fwd: Hey Higgy Methinks Dorothy Shephard must admit that Dependable Public Health Care begins with a Medicare Card instead of having her nasty minions inviting me to sue her in order to get one Correct? To: jmanzer@jacobibrien.com, jbosse3058@gmail.com Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com> https://davidraymondamos3. Wednesday, 22 September 2021Dan Murphy, said the cost of policing has been among the top issues for municipalities after the province's planned reforms to local governance.
https://www.facebook.com/MunicipalNB/posts/818700182155001
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/rcmp-union-contract-municipalities-1.6143407
Municipalities eye impact of RCMP union contract with 23 per cent raise over six yearsFirst collective agreement between federal government, National Police Federation signed this monthThe contract signed Aug. 6 between the federal Treasury Board and National Police Federation, the RCMP union, includes retroactive pay increases. Dan Murphy, executive director of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, said communities are just starting to get the details of the contract. He said the cost of policing has been among the top issues for municipalities after the province's planned reforms to local governance. "It's kind of an issue that affects smaller municipalities as well as larger municipalities," Murphy said in an interview. "So everyone is kind of grappling with what this could mean, trying to make plans accordingly." In Moncton, where Codiac Regional RCMP is the largest detachment in the province, $3.5 million had been set aside by the Codiac Regional Policing Authority to cover retroactive payments. The amount was based on an assumed 2.5 per cent annual wage increase, though the actual increase is higher. "We think there's going to be a shortfall, we just do not know at this point what the amount is," Jacques Doucet, Moncton's chief financial officer, said in an interview Monday evening.
Doucet said the details of the contract were received late last week, and its implications are still being analyzed by RCMP and the regional policing authority, which oversees the Mounties who police Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview. Doucet said they need to know who was on staff in the previous years, their rank, and who was on leave before a more complete accounting can be done. When that can be done will depend on the RCMP, which has the required payroll information. The contract covers RCMP reservists and officers below the rank of inspector. It says pay rates will change within 90 days of the agreement being signed. Union president Brian Sauvé has previously said that his goal was to bring Mountie pay in line with other police agencies. In a statement announcing the tentative agreement in June, Sauvé said RCMP pay "fell significantly behind municipal and provincial police counterparts." In Fredericton, which has its own police force, a first class constable earned $87,008.66 in 2016, and $97,359.61 in 2020, according to their pay scale. Under the RCMP's 2016 pay scale, a first class constable would earn $86,110. That rises to to $106,576 by next April. A corporal who made $94,292 in 2016 would see their pay rise to $116,703 next year. Codiac RCMP Insp. Benoit Joliette, speaking to Moncton council Monday night, acknowledged the new contract and said the force is working to determine its impact. "We'll keep working with the three communities to see what the impact will be," Joliette said. Under the policing contract, Moncton pays about 70 per cent of the $33 million Codiac RCMP budget, with Dieppe paying about 18 per cent and Riverview covering the rest. "It's been on our radar for a long time," Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold said of the salary increase. "We've known it was coming. But as far as the precision of what the implications will be, we don't know those exactly right at this time." The increase comes as the city has yet to make a decision on whether to go ahead with building a new Codiac RCMP station. The cost, once pegged at $46 million, has risen but the city has not made the new estimate public.
---------- Original message ----------
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/local-governance-reform/participate.html
How to participateWe want to hear from you and ask you to collaborate in the process. Based on your feedback, we will bring those ideas and bring forward a plan for reform in fall 2021. World Café Community RoundtablesNew Brunswickers are invited to participate in a series of eight in-person world café community roundtable discussions about the next steps in local governance reform. Each of the sessions below link to the event registration page. Note that there is very limited capacity for each, therefore we ask that only one person per household attend. Also note that once a session has reached the capacity allowed for registrants, it will no longer be available. Only participants who have registered will be allowed to attend the session. Please be advised that attendees will be required to wear a mask at all times during the session. Please bring your mask. We will have masks on-hand in the event you forget to bring your own. Registrants will be required to show proof of vaccination starting September 22 in order to be admitted to the session.
What we heard
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/local-governance-reform-new-brunswick-1.6169506
'Little consensus' on how to reform local governance, report saysProvince issues report summarizing input from more than 1,100 people on proposed changesThe Progressive Conservatives committed to overhaul the local governance system that has remained largely the same since the Equal Opportunity Program in the 1960s. The reform effort launched this year with a series of consultations mostly held online because of the pandemic. The 18-page "what we heard" report doesn't say how the province will proceed with reforms, details that are expected to be part of a future "white paper" this fall. Instead, the report offers brief summaries of input from around 1,100 people who took part in 25 meetings in recent months, as well as online surveys completed by more than 1,200 people. 'Little consensus on the right approach'"While the general consensus was that reform needs to happen, there was little consensus on the right approach," the report states. In general, the report says participants said the province has too many local governance entities, that changes are required to the property tax and assessment systems to make them fairer and increase transparency, and establish local representation for local service districts where the province makes decisions. The province has 340 local entities, including eight cities, 26 towns, 61 villages, eight rural communities, one regional municipality and 236 local service districts, a previous report issued ahead of the consultations states. Daniel Allain, the province's minister of local governance reform, has said he wants to ensure those living in rural areas where there's no municipal or local government have elected representation empowered to make decisions for their area. In an interview, Allain said the white paper with the province's approach should be released in November or December, with some of the legislation to implement reforms expected to be introduced this year. "I think right now we're still looking at pretty much everything," Allain said when asked if any options are no longer being considered based on the consultations. He said the province wants more feedback on some subjects. It plans to hold eight additional in-person consultation meetings between Sept. 14 and Sept. 29. Asked if the province is ruling out forced amalgamations, Allain said nothing has been ruled out. "Forcing amalgamations is a subject which people ask me every time," he said. "'Are you going to force us to amalgamate and are you going to raise my taxes?' "The question is yes and no. At the end of the day, we're not going to force people to do anything they don't want, but we know one thing: We have to reduce the number of entities in New Brunswick." The report highlights areas where it says local leaders are already discussing restructuring. Those include:
A group representing local service districts recently released a report saying its members support changes to LSD governance. "We agree with reform, but it has to be well done and it meets all of the needs to be fulfilled," said Jules Bossé, president of the Association of Local Service Districts of NB. Bosse said the group is also seeking more clarity on where revenues collected by the province are spent, particularly when it comes to roads. "We all want to pay our fair share, but we feel we pay more than our fair share for the roads," he said.
19 Comments
Shawn Tabor Taxes have to go up. It’s truly not rocket science. Me and just alittle of me, and you know what the other folks have. Me deserves that. Ever hear of the saying,” I pay my taxes so me deserves that. “That being said “ love that line. LOL. We have the most government workers per population in the western Hemisphere. Have a great safe day and weekend.
Richard Ames
Reply to @Shawn
Tabor: I think the answer to the high number of public servants is to
first find out what the hell they are all doing (our services are sub
par), then get rid of the positions that are not necessary to deliver
services effectively. It is not just to raise taxes. Taxes and
government don't exist to create jobs for people (who typically know
someone in government), they exist to provide services.
Blueprint for Suburban and Rural Local Governance Reform in New Brunswick Association of Local Service Districts of NB September, 2021 Mission Report compiled and edited by Blueprint for Suburban and Rural Local Governance Reform in NB ALSDNB September 2021 Contents
A. INTRODUCTION
B. STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
C. LOCAL GOVERNANCE
3. Land use planning
4. Finance
4.2 Roads
LSD residents also call on the federal government to fulfill its responsibility to ensure that equalization and gas tax transfers are accessible and contribute to the well-being and development of all segments of the population, including the 33% of LSD residents. The contributions of LSD residents to these funds have not been redistributed equitably. Access to these revenues has been limited by biased and selective criteria.
E. REFERENCES
Appendix A There were also
questions regarding the management of activities and revenues with
respect to Crown Lands, which are intended to benefit all New
Brunswickers, but have higher impact in the LSDs where they are located.
https://www.facebook.com/KimReeder4StCroix/
https://www.facebook.com/GPNB.PVNB/videos/320477222612947
It is ELECTION DAY TODAY in New Brunswick. Today
is the last day for you to decide who should be your representative in
the New Brunswick legislature for the next four years. If
you have already voted, GREAT. If not and if you need any assistance to
vote, please let us know by writing to us. We will try to find a way to
help you get out to vote. My
team distributed my letter that is found on this page to as many voters
and businesses as possible to help people as they go to vote. I hope
you will click on the links to my letter, read it and consider
supporting me today with your vote. Thank you. You
can help us to elect me as your next MLA for St. Croix by sending this
message to your friends and neighbours who might also be interested in
voting today. If everyone sends this letter to 10 or 20 other people we
can make sure as many people as possible know they have a choice in this
election to start the work needed to create new health, employment,
housing and economic opportunities in our communities. Here is the link to the front page of my letter to voters .. https://tinyurl.com/yxnfnpg2 and here is the back page of the letter https://tinyurl.com/y2bn6olh Thanks again for your support in helping to elect me today.
https://stcroixcourier.ca/mayor-upset-nb-power-not-entertaining-alternate-options-for-milltown-dam/
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