Greater Sudbury has dismissed Fire Chief Trevor Bain, following months of controversy over the fire optimization plan.
The move has been rumoured since word emerged earlier this month that three volunteer firefighters were dismissed over comments they made during the optimization process.
In email, city spokesperson Shannon Dowling confirmed the change.
“Trevor Bain, chief of Fire and Paramedic Services and general manager of community safety, is no longer with the organization,” Dowling wrote. “City CAO Ed Archer, will be working with senior staff over the coming days to appoint an interim general manager for the area.”
Bain has been in the spotlight since March, when he led a series of public meetings on optimizing the city's fire and paramedic services, a proposal ultimately rejected by city council.
He drew criticism for the plan, which sought to harmonize response times across Greater Sudbury, something city council asked him to do.
It proposed hiring dozens of new career firefighters and reducing reliance on volunteers as the only way to improve response times in outlying areas. But there was angry response to the plan at the public meetings, where many volunteers expressed their opposition.
Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini and Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier attended some of the meetings and were outspoken in their criticisms.
That led to an unusual situation, in which the Sudbury Professional Fire Fighters Association filed a harassment complaint with the city over the actions of the two councillors and some of the volunteers who spoke at the meetings.
In recent days, sources told sudbury.com that Bain's future as chief was in doubt, and that the dismissed firefighters would likely be rehired.
It was a short tenure for Bain, who took over from former fire and paramedic chief Tim Beadman in January 2016. Beadman left his post suddenly and without explanation.
The post is vacant at a difficult time for emergency services in Sudbury. Conflict between volunteer and career firefighters emerged during the optimization process, while paramedics feel their concerns are being ignored and are unhappy with a provincial proposal to extend paramedic training to firefighters.