'unbelievable': metro vancouver councillors slam board chair’s proposed leak investigation
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metro vancouver cao jerry dobrovolny addresses the media in march 2024.
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metro vancouver’s chair is calling on the board to hire an independent investigator after confidential details from a closed-door meeting — including the suspension and firing of senior executives — became public.
in a statement released on friday, mike hurley suggested the leak may have come from an elected official.
“it is extremely disappointing that an elected official may have illegally taken advantage of a confidential closed meeting and used people’s personal lives for political gain. these actions have caused real harm to the organization but, more importantly, they are causing real harm for real people.
“as such, i will be seeking the boards’ support to initiate a third-party investigation into the source of this serious breach of confidentiality,” said hurley, who is the mayor of burnaby.
at the dec. 12 meeting, members were notified that harji varn, metro vancouver’s chief financial officer, had been suspended by chief administrative officer jerry dobrovolny, according to global news. it was a decision made without the required approval from the board.
metro vancouver board chair and burnaby mayor mike hurley, seen here in april 2024, says he wants a third-party investigation into the ‘source of this serious breach of confidentiality.’
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a motion was presented calling for dobrovolny’s suspension and an investigation into the suspension of varn, the global report indicated. postmedia was unable to independently confirm the story.
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ravi chhina, metro vancouver’s deputy chief administrative officer, has also recently gone on personal leave but is expected to return in the new year.
as a result, the regional organization’s top three executives are now either terminated, on leave, or facing possible suspension.
hurley’s push for an independent investigation into the leak has drawn criticism from some elected officials, who say the move is misguided and unlikely to produce results.
richmond city councillor kash heed said he was stunned by hurley’s announcement friday, arguing taxpayers would ultimately bear the cost of an investigation with little chance of success.
richmond councillor kash heed, seen here in january, says an investigation has little chance of success.
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“i’m shocked by not only the cost that the taxpayer would bear from the investigation, but how ridiculous this all is,” said heed, who is not on the metro board.
“for the chair to go in and try to intimidate a person who made the public aware of what is going on in metro vancouver,” he said. “it’s unbelievable.”
heed accused hurley of pushing back against those who have spoken out about internal issues, rather than addressing the substance of the concerns. he also questioned what an investigator could realistically uncover, given legal limits around privacy.
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“you can’t go into private personal emails or a private device without a judicial warrant,” heed said. “it’s a complete waste of money.”
new westminster councillor daniel fontaine also criticized the proposal, saying metro vancouver should be focused on stabilizing its leadership, rather than launching an investigation.
“i’m perplexed as to why an organization in the middle of a public leadership meltdown would be spending their money to hire a private investigator. it’s beyond ludicrous.”
fontaine said the organization is facing more pressing challenges, adding that the board chair should refocus efforts on collaboration.
“i hope the chair reconsiders his decision.”
new westminster councillor daniel fontaine, seen here in march, says the spending of public money on a private investigation is ‘beyond ludicrous.’
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when asked about a motion calling for dobrovolny’s suspension this week, a spokesperson for metro vancouver declined to comment, saying it is a breach of the local government act to reveal what happened during a closed board meeting.
hurley told postmedia news days after the meeting that dobrovolny remains chief administrative officer.
metro vancouver serves 3.1 million people in more than 21 municipalities and is responsible for water, sewage, some social housing, regional parks and air quality. its board is comprised of 41 councillors drawn from the member municipalities.
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in may, deloitte canada released a report saying there is a need to reduce the board’s size, and suggesting the chair be changed from an elected official to an unelected expert in governance on a four-year contract.
metro vancouver has not said when the board will consider hurley’s request or what the investigation could cost.
— with files from cheryl chan
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