Three months ago Mick Howell was let go from his job as program manager with Victim Services and was not provided with an explanation.
“The way it all went down was a complete surprise,” Howell said, adding it’s taken him this long to be willing to talk about it publicly.
Howell said the city sent him an e-mail requesting to meet on July 17.
He was given a letter stating the city had decided to terminate his employment, and could do that without cause, Howell said.
“They gave me six weeks notice, and when I asked why I was told for operational reasons.”
The City’s CAO Darrell Garceau said the city couldn’t comment on a personnel issue, but confirmed it is undertaking a review of the victim services program.
One paid staff member remains working for the police-based program, which Garceau said has an annual budget of $137,090.
The Cariboo Regional District contributes $24,750 and the Ministry of Justice $53,460 while the city covers the remainder.
RCMP Sgt. Rick Lebeuf, who was in charge of Victim Services until the end of August when he retired, said at the time Howell’s dismissal also came as a surprise.
“There was no consultation whatsoever with our office, it was a decision solely made by those at the city,” LeBeuf said.