REGINA - A recent court ruling has shed some light on the acrimonious departure of a former Fire Chief from the City of North Battleford.
Trevor Brice, who was fire chief and director of protective services, has sued the City of North Battleford for wrongful termination and is seeking damages.
It seems the main issue still outstanding in the case is damages. Court documents from the Court of King’s Bench ruling from June 27, 2023 stated the city has acknowledged Brice was “terminated without cause.”
What had to be determined was the “quantum of damages, if any, payable by the city in lieu of sufficient notice in the circumstances,” according to the court document.
In this particular court application, Brice sought disclosure of documents to determine the amount of damages he is entitled to. The documents sought by Brice’s application included ones relating to the city’s investigation of two complaints filed against him which were eventually dismissed; those relating to his employment performance; those relating to his termination of employment; his complete personnel file with the city; and other files relating to investigations.
In the end the Court ruled in favour of directing the City of North Battleford to disclose documents relating to Brice’s employment performance; it also ordered the city to disclose documents relating to Brice’s termination, as well as his personnel file and any additional files containing relevant employment-related material.
The Court did stop short of granting Brice’s request for an order which would have directed the city to disclose “other files” relating to investigations conducted by the city in relation to Brice. The Court stated this request “casts too wide a net.”
Brice had parted ways with the City in Sept. 2019, shortly after city administration embarked on widespread efficiency measures including cuts to full-time firefighters within the fire department. At the time, city officials were tight-lipped about the reasons behind Brice’s departure.
Brice is currently fire chief and director of emergency management in Okotoks, Alta. Lindsay Holm eventually was named Brice’s replacement as fire chief in North Battleford.
