Longtime city clerk Caroline Hallsworth is retiring, as is city solicitor Jamie Canapini, sudbury.com has learned.
In an email to staff, corporate services GM Kevin Fowke announced that Eric Labelle will become the city's city solicitor and city clerk following the retirements.
“Eric will assume this leadership role in the legal and clerk's services division within corporate services effective July 3,” Fowke said.
The division Labelle will be leading includes legal services, reporting to Kristen Newman; clerk's services, reporting to Brigitte Sobush; regulatory services (which include POA, FOI and archives), reporting to Adam Kosnick; and, council support services, lead by Manon Depatie.
Security and bylaw services, reporting to Brendan Adair, will now report directly to Fowke.
Hallsworth will take vacation time in August, with her last day at the city scheduled for Sept. 22.
Canapini made headlines in 2012 following a notorious clash with former Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin when Marin visited city council in late 2012. Canapini accused Marin of acting unprofessionally after he said Canapini had given councillors bad legal advice.
Hallsworth was city clerk when Greater Sudbury was among the first to hold a municipal election using online voting in 2014. It proved popular with the public, although there were issues with long lines at some polling stations.
Labelle has been acting city solicitor since the spring of 2015 and has an MBA in addition to a law degree.
“He has extensive experience at CGS as an assistant city solicitor and in the clerks department,” Fowke said in the email to staff. “He joined the city in 2004 after practising at the law firm of Desmarais, Keenan L.L.P. and working as a law clerk at the Tax Court of Canada.
