IMSS founder forced out

Baljit Sethi, founder and executive director of the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society (IMSS), says she is being forced to retire as of March 31. “This is not a voluntary retirement,” said Sethi. “I wanted to retire in a year or two and give six months notice, but I don’t have a choice. They made the choice for me.”

Sethi established the IMSS more than 40 years ago and said it’s been a big part of her life. “The agency is my heart and soul,” said Sethi. “The agency’s anniversary is my anniversary.” Sethi took some time off recently when she got sick and her husband was in hospital. During that time she went in to the society office to pick up her paycheque and with it was the notice from the board of directors that when she returned from her leave that she would immediately retire.

The IMSS has experienced some upheaval during the past eight months or so as the board dismissed two long-time employees which resulted in several other employees leaving in solidarity. The lack of adequately qualified staff leaves the agency vulnerable to scrutiny because the majority of their funding is provided by the government to serve new immigrants.

During the first half of the two-part IMSS annual general meeting it was deemed necessary to strike a committee to investigate possible operational irregularities when Sethi would not provide her report as executive director because she said didn’t want to wash dirty laundry in public.

The committee is made up of three IMSS members including Jameel Khan, Travis Stringer, Sandy Long and and one member of the public, David Halikowski. Moustafa Beryk was voted onto the committee as a member of the public but quickly stepped down, citing conflict of interest because he socializes with some of the board members at IMSS.

The committee has three months to do its investigation and then will present a report to the board and members of the society.