Two Sylvan Lake town employees fired for attending gathering at council meeting

“We’re encouraged to go to council meetings. We’ve been told multiple times throughout my years at the Town that ‘every Monday night, come on down to the council meeting and hear what we have to say. Come on down, speak your voice’,” said Chambers.

Chambers claims he visited the council meeting on his unpaid 30-minute break in between his shift.

The town’s break policy is run under the honor system, leaving no exact recorded time of when Chambers left and returned to work.

He says he did not say anything during the delegation and left immediately after the member of the group uttered the threat to council. He estimates his time at the meeting totaled 15 minutes before finishing his break and returning to work.

Chambers says he was called into the office after his shift on Wednesday, December 15 and was dismissed by his manager, on behalf of the Director of Parks & Protective Services.

According to the letter of dismissal, shared by Chambers with rdnewsNOW, the Town states, “In the Town’s view, your decision to attend a protest at your place of work during the work day represented exceptionally poor judgment on your part.”

The letter states that attending to personal business during work hours without reporting the time, constitutes time theft.

“Your public display of defiance in attending the protest has a negative reputational impact for both yourself and the Town,” reads the letter.

The letter goes on to state that Chambers showed infidelity to the Town by not notifying them of the gathering. Chambers adds, he was told that someone could have gotten hurt.

Chambers claims to have responded to his manager by saying, “If I would’ve let you guys know, then that group would’ve been met with police at the door” and “Anyone can get hurt, any time ever, so how could you place that level of blame on me for just showing up?”

The letter ends by saying Chambers’ conduct has “irreparably harmed the necessary relationship of trust that must exist between an employer and employee”.

However, Chambers alleges the contrary, saying he has already developed a trusting relationship after working with the Town for six years.

With one “slap on the wrist” from a snow plough accident in his first year, he claims he has since been a good employee, becoming the ambassador two years ago for the local skate park, running a youth program, and being acknowledged by the Town as an “Outstanding Server of the community”.

“I’ve been a part of doing the Christmas lights every year; I was on the first year ever to do that. I’m one of the guys that is in those blitz in – 30°C putting up Christmas lights for council and then turn around and council fires me,” he said.

Born and raised in Sylvan Lake, Chambers expressed his disappointment.

“It’s just really a giant slap in the face,” he said. “To have been a frontline worker for the first 14 months of the pandemic and then the last six months to be treated like a convict for making a personal decision and just to be removed without a real cause is hurtful,” he said.

On the day of his dismissal, Chambers admits he did not take the news well.

“I just was telling them that this is a very destructive society and level of thinking they’re creating by showing the community that even if you just go and listen to your council, you’ll get shut down for it,” said Chambers.

That same day, a second employee confirmed they were also fired for attending the gathering but turned down the opportunity to comment.

Chambers alleges the second employee dismissed was off duty during the council meeting and was reluctant to attend for fear of reprisal.

According to Chambers, a third town employee was also in attendance but was not fired.

The Town of Sylvan Lake has declined comment on the incident, noting the council meeting is still under RCMP investigation.

by Alessia Proietti

Two Sylvan Lake town employees fired for attending gathering at council meeting

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