A high-ranking city staffer is no longer working with the municipality after only a few months on the job.
Municipal spokesperson Brynn Budden confirmed John MacIsaac "is not currently employed by the municipality" in an email Feb. 27, but wouldn’t say whether he was fired or quit.
“As with any personnel matter, the municipality is not in a position to publicly share details about someone’s departure, as we are bound by the requirements of Part XX of the Municipal Government Act,” Budden wrote.
MacIsaac accepted a position as Halifax’s executive director of corporate services in November 2019, and started the job in mid-December, with department heads including the chief financial officer and director of legal services reporting directly to him.
According to a Feb. 26 internal email from chief administrative officer Jacques Dubé obtained by Saltwire, MacIsaac was no longer with the municipality, “effective today.”
“We wish John all the best in his future endeavours,” Dubé wrote.
“As with any change, it is important that we engage and support one another. And for those working within business units directly affected by the new reporting structure, I encourage you to speak with your supervisor should you have any questions.”
Budden said MacIsaac’s position had a pay range of $235,000 to $275,000.
Just a few months ago, Dubé praised MacIsaac in an email to staff, saying he would run the city’s “integrated and collaborative approach of aligning corporate resources to support the delivery of citizen-facing services.
“John is a big-picture thinker able to articulate long-term vision with clarity,” Dubé wrote. “John has an exceptional ability to translate opportunities into outcomes. He has a demonstrated passion for sustainable development, consistently creating strong teams, developing authentic leaders and establishing robust safety cultures.”
MacIsaac came to the municipality after another high-profile departure, from Nalcor Energy — Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial energy corporation — where he was a vice president. He received an estimated severance of more than $500,000 after being terminated without cause as part of changes in the company’s executive structure in February 2019.
This is the second abrupt exit of a top Halifax city staffer so far this year: Municipal clerk Kevin Arjoon left in January after about four years on the job. He has since announced a new position with the city of Burlington, Ont,. and Halifax posted a job ad for a clerk on Feb. 19 with a closing date of Mar. 1.
Zane Woodford is a Halifax-based reporter for SALT and SaltWire.com
