Former District of Sechelt corporate officer Margi Nicholas is suing the District for defamation of character and damages related to the manner of her dismissal in July.
The former director of corporate services was dismissed on July 22, about one month before the results of an organizational and management review, conducted at the request of council, was released to the public.
That report proposed a new management structure that eliminated the superintendent of parks and public works, human resources advisor, and director of corporate services positions.
In her civil claim filed this month, Nicholas alleges the District “never intended for the consultants to produce a neutral or objective report.”
The claim alleges the District’s purpose in hiring Perivale & Taylor to conduct the organizational review was to “find an excuse to terminate Ms. Nicholas.”
It goes on to suggest that “Mayor Bruce Milne had a personal vendetta against Ms. Nicholas.”
The claim alleges Nicholas was terminated without cause and that the District of Sechelt “damaged Ms. Nicholas’s reputation” with the release of the organizational and management review report.
“Ms. Nicholas has taken all reasonable steps to find replacement employment, but has been unable to do so, in part as a result of the District’s publication of the report, and the damage it has caused to Ms. Nicholas’s reputation,” the claim states.
Nicholas is seeking general, special, aggravated and punitive damages through her claim that alleges the District owes her thousands in unpaid bonus entitlements of up to $10,000 a year, unpaid overtime, withheld raises, and $21,768.24 for an unpaid portion of tuition “pursuant to the Educational Agreement.”
The claim states Nicholas was enrolled in a Masters of Leadership graduate degree program through Royal Roads University in Victoria, which the District “offered to pay for” in October of 2014.
The claim notes the tuition fee was $22,930 for two years and alleges only $1,161.76 was paid by the District.
The claim filed by Nicholas states that she was hired on or about Feb. 2, 2009 as assistant corporate officer and that her original contract of employment was partly written and partly oral.
That contract allegedly stated that Nicholas could not be terminated without six months’ notice “or pay in lieu of notice, plus one additional month of notice or pay in lieu of notice for each completed calendar year of service after December 31, 2009, to a maximum of 18 months’ notice.”
When contacted this week for comment about Nicholas’ allegations, Milne said, “I cannot speak to issues I know nothing about.”
At press time the District of Sechelt had yet to file its response to the civil claim.
