Brampton set for another round of sweeping management cuts

Multiple sources have confirmed that about 20 management staff will be dismissed by the City of Brampton.

Thestar.com
Nov. 23, 2016
By San Grewal

Following years of dysfunction and controversy inside Brampton City Hall, the Star has learned that another sweeping cull of managers is about to happen.

The cuts come just two months after 25 managers, including senior staff, were dismissed by Canada’s ninth largest city.

“The City of Brampton is working to modernize its processes and become more businesslike in its operations to facilitate investment, innovation and higher levels of customer service,” city spokesperson Natalie Stogdill told the Star Wednesday when asked to confirm the latest management cuts.

Stogdill said “leaders across the organization” are “building high-performing teams … some leaders have announced changes to their teams that will enable these outcomes.” She said no specific staffing details could be provided, adding that “successful organizations are always changing.”

In September, new chief administrative officer Harry Schlange stunned council members, staff and residents when he dismissed 25 managers, including some of the city’s most senior bureaucrats.

Since then, during council and committee meetings, staff have said that dealing with some of the most pressing issues facing the city has been difficult without many senior staff who had leadership roles on the most important files.

With multiple sources confirming that about 20 more non-union staff are now being dismissed, the ongoing reorganization will likely continue to challenge staff as the city tries to decide on a future LRT route, has to finalize plans for a new university proposal to the province and prepares for upcoming budget deliberations.

Four sources inside city hall said a formal announcement about the latest cuts will be made this week.

Schlange was hired in May by council to bring change to a beleaguered administration.

In September, after the first wave of management cuts, Mayor Linda Jeffrey said Schlange was specifically brought on as “an agent of change.”

On Wednesday, inside council chambers, Jeffrey’s spokesman Jim Schembri said she would not comment on any possible staffing move. “She does not comment on HR matters,” Schembri said.

Jeffrey ran for office on a campaign of change and in 2014 won in a landslide over former mayor Susan Fennell, whose administration was battered by a series of controversies, many involving senior staff.

• In 2014 it was revealed that staff had lost track of the status of capital projects worth tens of millions of dollars.

• According to an internal audit in 2014, hundreds of contracts overseen by staff broke procurement rules that were ignored.

• After years of being told that no taxpayer dollars were spent on Fennell’s private events, councillors learned staff had purchased about $175,000 worth of tickets to the events.

• Senior staff secretly altered Fennell’s salary without informing council.

• In 2011 an independent analysis of municipal budgeting accuracy ranked Brampton dead last out of 23 Canadian cities.

After the surprise staff shake-up in September, Jeffrey said, “This is disruptive, there’s no doubt about it. Losing 25 people, 25 key individuals in the city is a very large change to what we’re going to do in the coming weeks, and I think we’re all going to grapple with that. Whether you choose change or it’s thrust upon you, it’s difficult. But I am confident in the leadership provided by our CAO.

“This is a lot to take in all at once,” Jeffrey said at the time.

In September, the city said the sweeping move was not linked to a $28.5 million lawsuit against the city by a local developer alleging staff misconduct in a $500 million downtown redevelopment deal. The city denies the lawsuit’s allegations.

The staffing changes come after an external financial review by Ontario’s former auditor general last year revealed unsustainable labour costs, including among the bureaucratic class, that were swallowing up a disproportionate amount of property tax revenues.

“We have a lot of things at stake. Our residents expect us to do the best, and I think we’re now better positioned to compete with people across Ontario and around the world,” Schlange said after his decision in September, explaining that the move was about efficiencies and effectiveness.

According to a staff report last year, as of March 2015, the city had 2,810 permanent, full-time employees. Of those, 681 were non-union staff. It's not clear how many of those were at the management level or higher. The city could not provide details Wednesday.