A 'toxic' work environment has led to a mass resignation of a consultant at Armstrong

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The work environment at one rural Manitoba municipality is so toxic that it's better the community doesn't have an interim municipal council, a former councilor said after a mass resignation last week.

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“It was toxic, I could no longer work under these conditions, it was so bad, it was also not in the RM's best interest for the council to work under these conditions,” said Pat Stein, now ex. adviser, said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning.

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Last Tuesday, Stein Armstrong was one of four municipal councilors who abruptly resigned from their positions in the RM, effectively leaving the Interlake community, an hour north of Winnipeg, without local leadership.

Stein said there had been a “toxic” atmosphere in the RM since the 2022 municipal election, and last Tuesday he, Paul Humeni, Ted Sumka and Brent Dziadek resigned in what he said was a “concerted” move.

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According to him, all eight employees of RM have resigned from 2022 due to the work environment.

“The toxicity almost started in 2022,” Stein said. “It saddens me that good councilors who love to serve their community have to step down to end a toxic work environment.

“If the council continues like this, I think it would not be in the interest of our Republic of Moldova. I want to love this community and see it do well, but it just didn't work out well.”

The RM has a code of conduct to deal with workplace issues, but Stein said the four councilors have decided they can't get help from that code of conduct because “it's going to be a long, expensive and drawn-out process if it's not followed.”

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Stein declined to comment on what issues or people are creating the toxic environment he describes, but acknowledged that the issues are with other council members.

“The issues are definitely with the council, but I'm not going to point fingers at anyone right now,” he said.

The Council now has two sitting members: Reeve Keith Basford and Councilor Allen Pfrimmer. There will be by-elections for all council seats, as the Manitoba Municipal Act requires a minimum of three elected officials for a council to function, and if there are fewer than three council members, the council is dissolved.

Armstrong's CAO, Nancy Howell, said in an email that the association will now look to the province for guidance and help with day-to-day operations pending a by-election.

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In a phone interview Tuesday, Municipal Relations Minister Ian Bushey assured Armstrong residents that day-to-day operations and the services they rely on will not be affected.

“At the end of the day, it's about continuity, and I don't expect residents to notice anything has changed,” Bushey said.

Bushey said the province will appoint an interim administrator to keep the municipality running. He said the council will be dissolved and the province hopes to hold a by-election before the end of the month.

Bushey said he didn't know exactly what prompted the resignation, but said there would be “conversations” to determine what happened and why, and how the municipal code of conduct can be used to prevent similar situations.

Basford and Pfrimmer did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

— Dave Baxter is a local journalism initiative reporter based out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Indigenous Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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