Our delegation, Citizens For Innisfail, met with the mayor and council at their regular meeting on Jan. 9 to hear and discuss their response to our concerns regarding the firing of fire chiefs and of the actions of Helen Dietz, the town's chief administrative officer.
We thought that overall they provided a reasonably satisfactory response and engagement. They showed depth and thoughtfulness in their answers, indicating that they were taking the matter seriously. We thank them for that.
Yet, we were still left with many questions and concerns. On legal advice they would not address five of the 14 questions posed, invoking privacy concerns due to personnel issues.
Specifically, they wouldn't tell us what the town's vision or direction is for the fire department.
They wouldn't tell us if the fire chief had ever received a performance review, yet did, in answering a subsequent question, tell us they conducted an annual performance review of the CAO, generally rendering "exceptional" ratings.
On the positive side, they did admit the town does not have a progressive discipline nor an exit interview policy, but will consider adopting such policies in the near future.
They informed us that they will be contracting a "headhunter" to recruit a new CAO, and that the current CAO would not be involved in the process. However, it was mentioned that she would be "guiding" them. We were unclear what this meant.
So where does Citizens For Innisfail go from here?
Though a petition for a provincial review remains on the table, the timing of the CAO's departure will weigh into that decision.
Our focus has grown wider over the last few months since the inexplicable firing of the fire chief. With each question raised, another two surface.
We are extremely concerned with the governance of our community and insist on transparency, accountability and ethical solutions to challenges faced.
We shall monitor and/or champion: the hiring process of our new CAO; the creation of new policies as mentioned, as well as for anti-bullying, harassment, conflict resolution, whistle-blower, ethics and others; the easy accessibility of all policies, bylaws, budgets, etc., on the town's website; the administration's tenuous relationship with the fire department and the creation of a legacy report to assist the next council in its mandate.
Further, we shall do such in a decent, respectful and democratic fashion engaging with the public, town administration and council, utilizing various media including council and public meetings, social, and of course this newspaper.
Jim Carroll is a co-spokesperson for Citizens For Innisfail.
