NPCA axes 8 staffers
Union says the agency is out of control
Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has cut eight frontline staff in a move that has angered the union, stunned local MPPs and incensed local environmental activists.
The union representing the workers said employees were notified Tuesday.
Those who lost their jobs include two planners from watershed management, three watershed restoration workers, two ecological technicians and one event co-ordinator, the union said. The layoffs took effect immediately.
Mark Brickell, CAO of the conservation au- thority, said he couldn’t comment on specifics.
“What we have done is made some staff changes,” Brickell said. “They are changes that are consistent with where we are going at the NPCA. Certainly, we will continue to protect the watershed and fulfil all the requirements of our mandate.”
The union believes much of the watershed protection duties are being transferred to Niagara Region.
Brickell wouldn’t comment on the union’s assertion
“It is fair to say the NPCA and the Region have been having discussions as part of the regular review process regarding the MOU (memorandum of understanding) and our various roles and responsibilities,” he said. “Those talks are ongoing, and certainly do have broader implications with respect to budgets and the delivery of services.”
Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union which represents unionized workers at NPCA, said grievances will be filed.
“This group at the NPCA is out of control,” Thomas said. “They believe anything they do is justified by their end goal, which is pro-development. We just think that’s wrong.
“We will be reaching out to the minister and emphatically requesting a face-to-face. We need to impress on the minister that this organization needs to be put under a trusteeship and a supervisor sent in.
“As far as I am concerned, the Government of Ontario is now responsible for this. They are fully aware of the issues and the actions of this group. They own this. They can’t continue to stick their head in the sand.”
Brickell said claims the conservation authority is putting economic development ahead of environmental protection are unfounded. He said that will be made clear in October.
“Next month, the NPCA will be making a major announcement that will leave no room for doubt as to this organization’s dedication to conservation, restoration and the long-term stewardship of the amazing Niagara Peninsula watershed,” added Brickell. “We are committed as ever to ensuring our programs have a greater impact on the health of our watershed.”
Two local MPPs, Jim Bradley, the Liber- al member for St. Catharines, and Cindy Forster, Welland’s NDP member, have been critical of NPCA and its practices in the legislature as recently as Tuesday. Forster said the losses “gut” watershed management at the agency.
“It is baffling to me that they didn’t come out in public and talk about this plan in advance,” Forster said. “The NPCA talks about being transparent and accountable. They talk about integrity, but this was done behind close doors — and we found out about it after it was a fait accompli. That’s concerning.”
Bradley said he has also heard NPCA is in the process of transferring some of its responsibility to the Region.
“I really wonder how the Region can do this job,” Bradley said. “The conservation authority is really the best vehicle for it. That’s what the conservation authority is all about.
“The conservation authority is an independent organization. It used to be not subject to political interference.
“You want the authority making its judgments based on science and information available to them from their own expertise.”
Thomas said the Niagara watershed “is too precious an asset to be auctioned off to hungry developers. Let’s get to the bottom of this right now.” He added NPCA and the Region have two radically different mandates.
“The NPCA is at pains to protect the environment from harm caused by development, while the region wants to promote economic development,” he said. “If the NPCA won’t protect the watershed, who will?”
Ed Smith, a local activist who is critical of the practices of NPCA, said the layoffs are a sad day for Niagara. A lawsuit by NPCA against Smith is before the courts — as is a countersuit by Smith.
“The recent move by the NPCA to permanently terminate such a large number of frontline staff who were involved with the biology, health and restoration of Niagara’s green spaces should be taken as another sign of where the current leadership is taking our conservation authority.
“The government agency that is mandated to care for our natural heritage has instead declared a scorched earth policy. Any citizen that cares about the environment should remember this at the next municipal election; get to know who the elected officials are on that board and hold them accountable.”