The City of Greater Sudbury is not saying how much they paid Hailey Pinksen after revoking her employment contract weeks after she started work as one of the city’s top managers.
Sudbury.com filed a Freedom of Information requesting this information, but it was rejected. We are appealing this decision, and will report on the results as soon as they arrive.
Pinksen’s start date as Finance director and Chief Financial Officer was Nov. 21, 2022, and the city revoked their employment contract with her the following month.
The city hired Pinksen understanding that she would fulfill the role remotely, from her home in Alberta, which city CAO Ed Archer described at the time as “certainly novel, but not unique.”
Archer described her as well-qualified for the job, and that while he would have preferred those skills to be in Greater Sudbury, they weren’t.
The plan was for Pinksen to be in Greater Sudbury for annual budget deliberations, and that she’d remain in regular contact with city staff by phone or online meeting platforms.
On Dec. 9, 2022, only 18 days after Pinksen’s start date, Mayor Paul Lefebvre hosted a media conference to announce that Pinksen’s employment contract with the city was being revoked.
Although the city’s elected officials don’t have the power to revoke Pinksen’s contract, Lefebvre said his office worked through Archer to make it happen.
“I strongly believe that the successful candidate for this role, because of its importance to our success, should be located in our community, and be part of our community,” Lefebvre told local media at the time. “They should be here to share experiences with the CAO, myself, council and other staff.”
During his Dec. 9 media conference, Lefebvre said that revoking an employment contract will likely carry financial consequences, though he was unable to estimate what the financial toll might be.
Sudbury.com sought this answer in a Freedom of Information request filed with the city.
Their response came on March 11, noting the request was being denied in accordance with Section 52 (3) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which exempts various labour relations-related documents.
Sudbury.com reached out to Pinksen by both phone and email on Monday, but did not receive a response. We last connected with Pinksen in December 2022, at which time she declined comment.
Despite the city revoking Pinksen’s employment contract, senior managers are still eligible for remote work arrangements, a city spokesperson clarified to Sudbury.com this week.
“Once approved under the remote work policy, any employee may be directed to attend an onsite City work location in person and on short notice,” they noted. “All employees participating in the program must be able to accommodate that requirement.
"In cases where the arrangement proves unsatisfactory or if conditions change and the work cannot be most effectively done while working remotely (either on a full-time or part-time basis), supervisors have the discretion to withdraw the remote work agreement. All roles are subject to the same criteria to consider if the work can be performed as effectively on a remote basis."
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
