Fire chief on 'unpaid leave'

Greater Sudbury's fire chief is on “unpaid leave” after being off the job for six months and suing his employers, city spokesperson Ghislain Lamothe confirmed Wednesday.

Donald Donaldson is seeking $220,000 in damages from the city for wrongful or constructive dismissal.

He's been off work since May 2006. Donaldson said in a lawsuit filed Oct. 16 that he suffered an emotional breakdown because city managers demeaned and undermined his ability to function effectively as a fire chief.

Constructive dismissal is a situation where the employer has not directly fired the employee, but there has been a significant, adverse change in the terms of employment, to the point where the employee is being forced to quit.

Donaldson, 47, lists a number of incidents in the lawsuit that led him to stop working.

In several places he refers to the improper conduct of his supervisors, Alan Stephen, the city's general manager of infrastructure and emergency services and Mark Mieto, the city's chief administrative officer. None of Donaldson's allegations have been proven in court.