CBRM planning conflict resolution session after walkout by senior fire dept. staff

Cape Breton Regional Municipality is planning a conflict resolution meeting to smooth things over between some councillors and senior staff in the fire department.

The fire chief and three of his employees walked out on councillors during a committee meeting on Wednesday after discussion grew heated over a staff report on volunteer firefighter recruitment.

"Hopefully, it's just a matter of cooler heads prevailing, and get back to business," deputy mayor James Edwards said on Friday. "The unfortunate part about that episode at the conclusion of the meeting the other day is that it overshadowed the good work of the meeting itself."

Edwards chairs the fire and emergency services committee, which was meeting when fire Chief Michael Seth left, taking with him his deputies Chris March and Craig MacNeil and emergency manager Bruce MacDonald.

The mayor and chief administrative officer are planning to facilitate an informal session to go over CBRM's respectful workplace policy, Edwards said, and he expects the dispute will be resolved.

"Prior to the other day, we were all getting along well with the fire services group, both professional and the volunteers, and I'm confident that we can right the ship and get on to the good work and get the fire services hopefully going in the right direction for all of the citizens of CBRM," Edwards said.

The volunteer and professional services got together with administration as recently as June 10 and had a productive meeting, finding unity on a number of initiatives, he said.

Edwards said he has had time to reflect on the way the committee meeting went and said as chair, he could have handled the dispute differently, possibly by intervening sooner.

Tempers flared as Coun. Gordon MacDonald questioned the fire chief over a staff report written by deputy chief March last year.

MacDonald had asked for a paper outlining steps the department was taking to retain volunteer firefighters and to recruit new ones.

He told the committee that March had admitted to him that the report did not answer all of his questions.

March denied that, saying he told MacDonald during a brief conversation in an elevator that he didn't have all the information, but he later reviewed the report and found it to be complete.

MacDonald persisted in questioning the chief, saying the report did not answer any of his questions.

That's when Seth and the others left.

In the report, March said the fire service administration does not have authority over recruitment efforts among the autonomous volunteer departments.

He recommended council provide administration with that authority, and suggested a multi-point plan to address recruiting issues.

That report was approved by the fire committee earlier this year, but has never gone to council for a final vote.

Edwards said other councillors may have different opinions on whether the report was complete, but it was approved by the committee.

He said what happens with that report will depend on the outcome of the conflict resolution session.

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