The Conservation Authority's HR Director has resigned, fed up and frustrated by the board of directors' refusal to correct, what he considers severe staff issues in the organization.
"It is with a heavy heart that I make this decision," he says in his resignation letter obtained by BayToday, "but recent experiences have made it clear to me that the work environment at the North Bay - Mattawa Conservation Authority has become increasingly toxic and hostile due to the dictatorial leadership style and bizarre behaviour of the CAO and one of the Deputy CAOs."
Bremer says since he started on March 4 he has witnessed and experienced behaviour that is "not only unprofessional, but also detrimental to the well-being of the staff members. The constant atmosphere of fear, intimidation, and disrespect has made it difficult for me to perform my duties as an HR professional."
Bremer says his experience at the Authority has taken a "toll on my personal and family life, professional beliefs, personal values, and I would say, even my emotional health."
Bremer has tried to work internally to effect positive change, but in the end, felt forced to go public with how toxic the working atmosphere at the Conservation Authority is.
It has become so bad that staff staged a walkout yesterday in protest.
See: Conservation Authority staff walk out in protest
"Despite my efforts to address these concerns in confidence and directly with the Board of Directors through internal channels, I have not seen any meaningful changes or improvements in the work culture. I have seen even worse, total ignorance toward staff members' concerns raised over and over in October - November 2023, and even in January 2024."
In January staff members wrote a letter to the Board asking it to investigate the staff issues, but were ignored.
Bremer says the staff has shown "a brave endurance despite a despotic leadership, as one of the BOD members said, 'there is ruler, and you all have to obey.'”
Bremer feels staying on and continuing the fight is useless and suspects the Board is going to fire him for his public stance, even going so far as to secretly change the lock on his office door the day Bremer's father died.
See: Conservation Authority changes lock on HR Director's office door
"It has become evident to me that staying in this environment is no longer tenable for my personal well-being and professional growth."
Bremer says regrettably he turned down two other generous employment offers to take the North Bay job, "The reason I accepted was primarily the HR challenge – Employee Relations, Labour Relations, Change Management, Organization and Culture change. Unfortunately, it wasn't anything like what was described during the interview by the BOD HR Committee - Lana Mitchell, Michelle Lahaye, Shelley Belanger, and certainly the CAO Chitra Gowda."
Bremer has almost 33 years of experience in the human resources field and wrote in his letter, "I have never ever experienced anything so bad in terms of micromanagement, power plays, lack of leadership, manipulation, and total ignorance of a critical HR function…employee relations. It’s no wonder that after 50 years the employees chose to bring in the union. They need someone to protect their right to have an honest opinion, to be treated fairly, respected for who they are."
He calls his first few days at the CA "shocking" and "bizarre" noting there was no orientation given and he was told not to contact any board member or partners "because all the communications are going through the CAO Chitra Gowda."
Bremer says abuse of staff has been going on for almost two years since the new CAO was hired, but has gotten much worse in the last six months.
See: Local Conservation Authority in 'total chaos' says its own HR director
He hopes that his resignation will serve as a catalyst for positive change within the North Bay - Mattawa Conservation Authority.
"It is my sincere wish that NBMCA takes proactive steps to address the issues of toxicity and hostility, and most of all, lack of leadership, and foster a culture of respect, collaboration, inclusivity, common sense, good faith, and allow staff members empowerment to do what they know best…their job. I said it before and I`ll say it again, the staff members are a fine group of people, who want simply to work and enjoy it, as they enjoyed their workplace for so many years. This is basic and it's easy to achieve anywhere on the planet Earth."
Born in Romania, Bremer says he would like to forget his North Bay experience, calling it "the biggest disappointment I have ever come across professionally for the past 32+ years."
His former employer has offered him his old job back after hearing the ordeal of working for the Conservation Authority, but it means travelling in the USA.
"I would add that an employer helping an ex-employee, knowing what happened at the new workplace is saying a lot, and I leave it up to your own judgment to understand why they rehired me."
CAO Chitra Gowda and Board Chair Shelley Belanger have both made it clear they do not intend to comment on Bremer's actions, the staff upheaval, or reasons for the Board's lack of action to rectify the situation.
For his part, Bremer wishes "all my esteemed colleagues all the best for their future and emphasize that it has been a great pleasure knowing them and calling them my colleagues, despite my short tenure with the North Bay - Mattawa Conservation Authority."
