City to review hiring practices due to staffer’s allegedly fake MBA

Mayor Michael Fougere said he has asked the City of Regina’s chief administrator to review the vetting processes for hiring staff, after an employee’s allegedly phoney degree was brought to light by a media report.

Deputy clerk Erna Hall paid approximately US$1,500 for a master’s of business administration through the online Almeda University, information brought to light by a CBC Marketplace investigation.

The non-accredited institution is known to be a diploma mill.

“I won’t talk about Ms. Hall’s particular circumstances, other than to say that’s a personnel issue outside of the purview of council,” Fougere said at City Hall on Wednesday.

“But we’ve asked the city manager to look at how we can make … the review more robust, to make sure that we don’t have this happen again.”

Fougere referred to a prepared statement by J.P. Cullen, City of Regina executive director organization and people.

Cullen stated the city does “robust” background checks in “jobs involving public safety, regulatory bodies and positions of trust.”

“Our priority is public health and safety,” he said.

The office of the city clerk directs city council’s administrative functions. It maintains, processes and records city council business. It also serves as a liaison between city committees and the public.

“We sympathize with one of our employees who, on her own time, at her own expense, completed an MBA at what she believed to be an accredited university. This advanced degree is not a requirement of her job,” Cullen stated.

“We are proud of our employees and the investments we all make in professional development and personal growth. Our organization is all the better for their dedication.”

Cullen specifically mentioned engineers, lifeguards and firefighters in his statement

He said Regina firefighters must have graduated from fire college and taken training that meets International Fire Service Accreditation Congress standards.

Engineers’ credentials must be validated through the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan.

“A journeyperson or truck driver’s credentials are also verified to ensure they have the qualifications required for the job,” Cullen added.

“This is routine for those of us working in human resources who do recruitment for a living.”

The City of Regina denied a request for an interview with Hall.

Hall told CBC Regina she was “embarrassed” to learn her degree was false, but is “taking some ownership.” She told CBC it took her less than a year to get the MBA, which involved some online coursework and writing a final paper.

CBC Marketplace found that hundreds of people across the country may have fake degrees through Axact, an IT firm based in Pakistan, with which Almeda University is affiliated.