Fremantle clarifies contract dispute with Iqaluit council

I was somewhat surprised by the interview on CBC radio and the article in Nunatsiaq News that suggested that I had resigned from my position with the City of Iqaluit.

For the record, at no time did the city council ever sit down with me to discuss the possible extension of my contract, which expired March 16, 2006. From Aug. 9, 2005 until March 9, 2006, there was no response from council to my repeated written requests to negotiate an extension.

Ten minutes from close of work on March 9, 2006, I was summoned to the mayor’s office, where a verbal offer of a one-year extension was presented to me by the mayor and deputy mayor. I responded to the two of them that one year was insufficient, as I wanted to complete the Capital Plan, which still had two years to run, and I wanted to ensure that my successor was appraised of all the important issues still in progress, and the new initiatives.

The response that I was given was that the current council did not want to impinge on the new council’s authority by extending my contract by two years. I advised the mayor and deputy mayor that I would discuss the verbal offer with my partner Susan over the weekend, and it was agreed that we would meet in the mayor’s office at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 13, 2006 to review and discuss my response.

The meeting on Monday never happened, as no member of the council showed up. I advised the mayor and council by letter on March 13, 2006 that I did not accept the one-year offer and laid out my reasons.

I again asked for a written offer and was advised that it could be dealt with by council, in camera, on Tuesday, March 14, 2006, or after the deputy mayor got back on March 20, 2006.

I again advised the mayor that my current contract expired at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, and that the issue should be dealt with at the Tuesday council meeting, so as not to violate the terms of the contract. (The contract had been viewed by council at a meeting in September 2005.)

I was summoned to the mayor’s office at 4:55 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15, 2006, and was given a copy of Council Resolution #6 of Tuesday, which extended the contract to June, 2007. There was no mention of impinging on the new council’s authority, so was that concern set aside?

I advised the mayor and Councillor Hall that I would discuss the offer with Susan and get back to them by Monday, March 20.

At that time I also asked permission of the council to attend the pivotal discussions on a “new granular source,” which were being held on Friday, March 17, with representatives from the GN and contractors, as a city representative, as my contract officially expired at 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting.

I was given permission by the mayor and Councillor Hall to do so, and to represent the city on Monday, March 20, at a meeting with the Government of Nunavut to finalize the wording in the Gas Tax Agreement.

I responded to the Council Resolution #6 (the offer), in my letter of March 20, 2006, clearly indicating that a review every three months for the duration of the extension was totally unacceptable and inappropriate.

I hope this clarifies the course of events leading up to the completion of my contract with the city.

Ian Fremantle
Iqaluit