By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: July 07, 2012
Cameron Chalmers will receive ten months of salary as part of his severance package, documents obtained by the Squamish Reporter reveal.
The district will pay $100,500 to the former general manager of community services, in lieu of notice of ten months’ salary less statutory deductions.
Cameron Chalmers will also be paid $9, 254 in lieu of all terminated benefits premiums.
The information was obtained by a freedom of information request by the Reporter, but circumstances surrounding Chalmer’s departure (or ouster?) from the district are as clear as mud.
The district response has been opaque. There is the convenient sliding behind personnel-issues-can’t-be-discussed ruse.
Like Trappist monks, councillors, too, have chosen to remain silent on how a senior government official went from being an insider to an outsider in the matter of one afternoon.
Chalmers was certainly the blue-eyed boy of the past administration, and he had a say in some of the most ambitious, long-ranging projects underway at the district.
His urban vision was clearly evident in the Oceanfront sub-area plan.
The Reporter tried to obtain information about his exit through a detailed FOI, asking details about Chalmer’s severance package, his employment contract, email exchanges between staff, between councillors and staff, and between councillors over his departure.
Also included in the FOI was a request for all emails pertaining to the core service reviews.
The request didn’t turn up a trove of information.
In fact, the district claims there is not a single email that was written about his departure between councillors, or between staff and councillors.
There were no emails located regarding the core service and Chalmer’s departure either.
The one email that the district released pertained to a letter that Kevin Ramsay sent to all staff regarding the Squamish Service Initiative.
He mentions Cameron Chalmers in the end, asking others to join him in thanking Cameron for his “great service”.
Beyond the officialise, there is little to suggest what transpired in May that led to Cameron Chalmers exiting from the district.
It’s no secret that some developers had a tough time dealing with the planning department when Chalmers was at its helm.
Now, those developers might find him a bit more receptive to their ideas.
The former district official has launched Cameron Chalmers Consulting Inc, fashioning himself as a planning, development, and land use consultant.
At least one disgruntled developer, the inimitable Doug Day, has already hired his services.
Perhaps the Paradise Trails people should call him now, for expert advice–and some cosmic justice.
Mark Goodwin says
Perhaps the District should hire Lawyers who could write appropriate contracts so that the tax payers of this municipality are not obliged to pay anything when their employees depart. I also find it a cause for concern that a former employee with former responsibility for district planning decisions finds immediate employment with Mr Day. The District should publish everything they have. Failure to do so implies dishonesty, and every tax payer has a right to know how their money is spent and how the District conducts its business.
MichaelL65 says
The Doug Day connection causes concerns for me as well.
Shala Grindlay says
Dear Gagandeep,
Compliments on your wonderful style of writing. This article particularly caught my eye as I think I would have been quite upset if I was a taxpayer in Squamish. Keep looking and digging, I would love to hear that he was sacked and therefore didn’t deserve such a huge payout.
Keep up the great reporting,
Shala Grindlay
Astrid Andersen says
Well done in reporting on this matter! Many unanswered questions remain. Why? And the taxpayers are stuck with a large severance payment bill! I feel that we must demand more accountability concerning this issue and others matters like this.
Squamish says
WOW! That’s a lot of money for tax payers to shell out for reasons undisclosed.
Burger Eater says
Severance packages are everyday business, people get over it. I think this article is out of line insinuating that the town is wrong somehow for paying a severance when they are part of nearly every major business departure.
It’s also a bit nosy for the Reporter to dig into this matter. Surely there is some real worthy news other than topics cherry picked to make the town look bad at managing money!
Anonymous says
Severance packages of this decsion are only common in public office and government departments.
As it is public money and not owner /shareholder money
In the corporations they usually involve negotiations, lawyers and court
settlement is not a given or expected unless wrongfull dismisal.
If people dont like public exposure then they shouldnt be in public office or work in government instiutions and departments.
Anonymous2 says
Pffft! Not in the private sector. And even then typically either due to a position being phased out – or wrongful dismissal. And the lack to transparency doesn’t help appearances – just makes it look like start-up funding.
Some people get all the breaks.
StandTallSquamish says
Burger Eater doesn’t sound like your real name. A close friend of Chalmers ???
Good job, keep digging, Reporter….
Jim says
So, this is a district’s gift to Chalmers. That would help him set up his consulting business all right..What a shame, these guys who create the trouble walk away with hundreds of thousands of tax payers money…And then they work with developers like Day..Way to work the system, eh ?
MichaelL65 says
This is public money, so, the public deserves public disclosure. The connection with Doug Day raises some questions, given Mr. Day’s previous interactions with the DoS.
Elliot says
I would be very concerned about someone with fresh inside the gov’t knowledge, to be working on the other side of the table for developers now. Most private sector employment contracts have a restriction against this kind of competition or directly related work for a period after dismissal or contract end. This is especially dangerous for sensitive development application processes. How on earth does this fly? Only in Squamish I tell you!!
Nate Dolha says
I suppose it all depends on how his contract was written, as it is not unusual for organizations to pay 1 month severance for every year worked in the event of dismissal. Employment contracts are, and should continue to be protected from FOI, as they contain personal information. Public purse or not, Mr. Chalmers was an employee of the District, not an elected representative, so he should not be subject to the same scrutiny.
Anonymous says
Mr Dolha , completely disagree. Mr. Chalmers was not only an employee but management. The ” shareholder ” tax payers should have a least 50% of the representative with a vote sitting at the table when all municipal staff contracts are set. This is way too much severance . This is how we end up with these huge salaries with little accountability. As well if it was a restructuring and Mr. Chalmers was not part of the new structure, six weeks pay would have been enough! Employment contracts should be open transparent and available to the public at all times, after all it’s public money.
Nate Dolha says
Mr. Anonymous, I agree with what you’re saying with respect to a more transparent framework for future contracts, it’s the details that shouldn’t be released. If we are concerned about how these are written going forward, then we need to have the conversation with our elected reps, and do a bit of research so we understand what the going rate is for a municipal planner carrying a masters degree. With a transparent framework in place, we can let our elected councillors focus on policy instead of administrative work, which is their mandate.
When I look at the salary, it is where I would expect it to be, and seems in line with private sector position with similar scope and responsibility.
In this discussion, we need to shift focus from the dollars to the value our community receives for that salary, and put aside personal feelings for the individual involved… Lets keep it objective folks!