Brian Woodward
By Greg Amos
Special to The Pioneer
In the midst of the 2016 budget process, the Village of Canal Flats has cut ties with chief administrative officer Brian Woodward.
By mutual agreement, Brian Woodward has concluded his employment as chief administrative officer of the Village, reads a press release issued by the municipality on Monday, February 15th. Mayor, council and staff wish to acknowledge and thank Brian Woodward for his service to the village over the past five years.
Asked why the administrator was being let go, Canal Flats mayor Ute Juras would not comment, but pointed out discussions were held at in-camera meetings that are not open to the public. Its not known whether Mr. Woodward will receive a severance package, which is often the case when a municipal administrator is relieved of his duties, and Mr. Woodward indicated there are still contract items to resolve between himself and the village.
Mr. Woodward has done a very good job for the village, and has been instrumental in obtaining several grants, said Ms. Juras. He was a very good
administrator.
Asked by The Pioneer how he feels about councils decision when reached at home in Canal Flats, Mr. Woodward responded, at the age of 70, I feel great about it.
I had lots of discussions in the last few weeks about different things, he said, adding he accepts the decision and plans to continue living in Canal Flats with his wife.
Mr. Woodwards last day working for the village was Wednesday, February 10th, and both he and
Ms. Juras confirmed all major details in the 2016 budget have already been worked out.
We already have all recommendations in place from staff, explained Mayor Juras. Our biggest challenge is trying to keep the village working with little or no tax increases to taxpayer.
To finish the detailed work prior to the end-of-April deadline, the village will appoint Cheryl Otting as financial officer, and has named deputy director of corporate services Sylvie Hoobanoff as interim chief administrative officer. (Ms. Otting has been brought in on a contract basis to help with Canal Flats budgets in past years.)
The village will begin advertising for a new administrator immediately, and may seek help from a recruiting service, added Ms. Juras.
A meeting was held between council and village staff on Wednesday, February 17th to explain the situation.
Mr. Woodward had been working at the village since December 2010, where he worked four days each week. He said he plans to stay completely away from politics as a member of the public, but will be engaged with community activities involving arts and the wilderness.
