Victoria mayor slams B.C. premier's comments on firefighter suspension

The mayor of Victoria says she is "extremely disappointed" in B.C. Premier David Eby for publicly weighing in on the suspension of a city firefighter this week.

Mayor Marianne Alto on Friday reaffirmed that she had nothing to do with the decision to suspend firefighter Josh Montgomery after he penned an open letter to the premier opposing the city's support for a planned homeless outreach centre in his neighbourhood.

The letter touched off a political firestorm after a B.C. Conservative candidate in the upcoming provincial election seized on the firefighter's cause and claimed his suspension was a "chilling retaliation" for political speech.

The firefighter's union issued its own statement on the suspension, decrying the "misinformation that has been circulated amongst the public regarding employment matters with one of our members."

Eby and Alto initially distanced themselves from the matter, with both issuing statements saying they had nothing to do with the fire department's decision. But the premier's office released a follow-up statement Thursday questioning the decision to suspend the firefighter.

"No one should face consequences for writing to me and, if that's the reason he was sanctioned, then he deserves an apology and back-pay from the person responsible," Eby said.

The premier stood by his comments on Friday, saying that "if it's the case that this firefighter was disciplined for writing a letter to the premier about an issue of significant importance for him and his community, that can't stand."

Eby said he values his relationship with the Victoria mayor and meant no disrespect by his comments. The premier's staff have reached out to the firefighters union to offer any assistance they can provide on this issue, he added.

"It's vital for me to be able to do my job as premier that people can reach out, share information with me and not face discipline for it," Eby said during an unrelated news conference.

"I understand Mayor Alto's office had nothing to do with this. If this individual was disciplined for writing to me then, yes, that was a mistake." 

Eby 'not in possession of all the facts'

Hours earlier, Alto condemned the premier's involvement in the matter from Victoria city hall.

"I am extremely disappointed that any provincial premier would feel it appropriate or necessary to make a comment on what is clearly an operational personnel matter of a local government," Alto told reporters Friday. "Particularly, as I believe he has said, since he is not in possession of all the facts."

The mayor also indirectly criticized Tim Thielmann, the B.C. Conservative candidate for Victoria-Beacon Hill, who ignited the controversy by insinuating either the mayor or the premier had pressured the fire department to suspend Montgomery.

"I had nothing to do with any decisions made by the fire department, either operationally or with regard to personnel, nor would I," Alto reiterated.

"It is not my expertise and I have absolute confidence in the leadership of the fire department, as I do in the leadership of the city, to make whatever decisions they feel necessary in the best interests of the city."

Referring to Thielmann, the mayor said she is concerned that "any provincial – aspiring or existing – politician would use an incident like this to advance their own ambitions and self aggrandize their capacity in seeking public office – which I believe to be a very high calling."

Firefighter suspended without pay

The firefighter's unpaid suspension, which was scheduled to take effect Friday, was imposed following the publication of his open letter slamming the city's "outrageous" and "reckless" support for the homeless outreach centre in Victoria's North Park neighbourhood.

Montgomery's letter called on the premier to "take immediate action" to intervene to stop the facility from opening near the firefighter's home.

Montgomery wrote that the homeless facility at 2155 Dowler Pl., which will include harm-reduction services for drug users, is "just 100 feet from where my young daughters, ages 4 and 6, play outside our home."

The city has agreed to provide up to $1.8 million in annual operating funding for the Dowler Place facility, on top of a one-time $300,000 grant to help the SOLID Outreach Society acquire the property.

A city spokesperson declined requests for comment on behalf of the fire department and Victoria fire Chief Dan Atkinson.

'Escalating violence'

The Canadian Constitution Foundation sent a letter to the Victoria fire chief calling on him to revoke the suspension, saying the firefighter had every right to express his opinions on the homeless centre in his community.

"There's a common misconception out there that public sector employees don't have rights to freedom of expression, that they leave that at the door," Josh Dehaas, counsel for the foundation, said in an interview.

"That couldn’t be farther from the truth. They do have a right to freedom of expression, especially on matters of public safety, public interest, like this," he added.

In his open letter, Montgomery decried "the escalating violence and alarming decisions being made by City of Victoria officials," which he said "put my life, the lives of my colleagues, and the safety of our community at severe risk."

The firefighter highlighted a July attack on a paramedic outside a downtown homeless shelter as evidence of the increasing danger to the city's first responders.

"Public sector employees, like firefighters, need to balance what's called the duty of loyalty to their employers" when speaking out publicly, Dehaas noted.

"So they can't disparage their employers with their freedom of expression rights. But on an issue like this, where it's about public safety and it's about his concerns as a citizen of Victoria rather than just as a firefighter, I think he's perfectly within his rights to speak out."