Latest news with #citymanager
CTV News
3 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Vancouver chooses Donny van Dyk as new city manager
The City of Vancouver has selected Donny van Dyk as its new city manager. (City of Vancouver) Less than 10 days after announcing the departure of its current city manager, Vancouver has announced his replacement. Donny van Dyk will replace Paul Mochrie as Vancouver's city manager beginning on Sept. 8. Originally from Terrace, van Dyk has been city manager for the City of Delta since September 2023. Before that, he held the same role in the City of Penticton. He has also worked as the chief administrative officer for the District of New Hazelton and in senior roles at the pipeline company Enbridge. In a statement Thursday, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he is 'thrilled' to welcome van Dyk to the province's largest city. 'Donny brings a results-driven mindset and a strong mix of public and private sector experience that will help us deliver real, tangible outcomes for Vancouverites,' Sim said. 'As we take on key priorities like meeting our budget targets, delivering the next four-year capital plan, and advancing important work to support residents and businesses, Donny's proven ability to deliver practical results makes him the right person to lead the implementation of council's ambitious agenda.' Van Dyk, who is a chartered professional accountant, will soon be responsible for overseeing Vancouver's $2.3 billion operating budget, its $880 billion capital budget and its roughly 9,600 employees. In the city's statement, van Dyk said he is 'honoured to have council's trust' and excited to get started. 'I look forward to working with Mayor Sim, council, city leadership and the talented City of Vancouver staff team as we deliver on council's agenda for a vibrant and inclusive future for everyone who lives and works in this world-class city,' he said. Vancouver announced Mochrie's departure in a brief statement last week, saying he and Sim had 'mutually agreed that it was the right time for a leadership change' in the city. Read more: Vancouver city manager stepping down Mochrie has served as Vancouver's city manager for the last four years, and has been employed by the city for 14. Vancouver's online data portal shows Mochrie earned $387,110 in salary and other remuneration in 2024. Van Dyk's starting compensation has not yet been disclosed.
CBC
5 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Mayor of Regina recaps busy night at city council
3 minutes ago News Duration 3:51 Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski joined The Morning Edition to talk about approving a budget increase for a new aquatic centre and firing the city manager.
CBS News
19 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Kerrville emails, texts show local leaders spent hours unaware of flood's tragic toll
The CBS News Texas I-Team obtained dozens of text messages and emails exchanged between Kerrville city officials as they learned of the devastation caused by the Guadalupe River flooding on July Fourth. The texts, which began around 5:30 a.m. that day, first focused on the Independence Day festival planned at a city park. "Heavy rain in Hunt. Water is coming up at Louise Hayes. Port-a-potties floating away. The waterline is at the base of the stage right now," texted one assistant city manager. Another responded, "Are there still kids at camp in Hunt?" "Don't know," came the response. Minutes later, the city manager sent a group text to Kerrville city council members warning of "major flooding." One member responded, "Oh, my!! I didn't realize we had that much rain." Another texted, "Ugh!!! Not what we needed today." At 6:32 a.m., Kerrville police called for evacuations along several streets filled with RVs and apartments. Ten minutes later, the city sent a mass email warning residents to avoid driving down flooded streets: "Much needed rain swept through Kerrville overnight, but the downside is the severe weather may impact many of today's scheduled July 4th events." By 8:30 a.m., the mayor was signing a disaster declaration, but emails show it took another half hour for the emergency management coordinator to call in off-duty firefighters to help with rescue efforts. Just after 10 a.m., it appears the toll began to sink in for many council members. In the group chat, one message read, "Heard 32 missing from camps?!" Another replied, "I heard that too..." The city manager responded with updates on the rescue efforts and appeared to criticize the county's response at the time. "The county is reacting poorly to this but we are assisting, especially since we have unconfirmed reports of kids missing from Camp Mystic and some resorts out west. We are attempting to gain access but it's still an ongoing and developing situation." Hours later, at 6:14 p.m., another mention of the camps. The city manager texted the council, "We have three no-answer camps, Camp Mystic is the big one in question, all other camps are accounted for." Twenty-seven campers and counselors from Camp Mystic would later be confirmed dead. The texts also reveal personal connections and losses. One council member texted, "My friend is still waiting on word of his sister. Missing." The city attorney shared that one of his friends was among the dead, calling it a "devastating day" for the community. The next day, the city manager texted his team words of support: "Take the time you need, cry, grieve, hug someone, vent, anything so you can focus on getting back into the fight." He later added, "Most of our team have not been through a disaster of this scale. Many people don't go through disasters of this scale." Later, one city staffer shared, "Just watched crews pull a counselor out of debris, so that will stick with me."
CTV News
20 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Regina Mayor speaks to city manager's firing
Regina Watch Mayor Chad Bachynski gives more details behind the firing of city manager Niki Anderson
CBC
21 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Regina city council fires city manager Niki Anderson, approves budget increase for indoor aquatic facility
Social Sharing Regina city council has terminated the contract of city manager Niki Anderson without cause. No reason was provided for the recommendation from city staff. Council passed the motion to fire Anderson with a 10-1 vote, with only Ward 8 Coun. Shanon Zachidniak dissenting. Zachidniak said she's heard from numerous residents that they have no desire to see the City of Regina fire people without cause and then pay out severance. "Since I've been elected in 2020, we've paid out more than $1,000,000 to folks by firing them without cause and paying them out accordingly. So if we want to talk about being efficient with our money, that's a clear way that we could certainly find some savings," Zachidniak said. Anderson has been on leave since April. She was hired on Nov. 1, 2022, becoming the first woman to hold the job, after her predecessor Chris Holden was abruptly fired two years before his contract expired. Anderson's contract term was for five years. The city is now required to make a severance payment, but it's not clear what that payment will be. According to the city's 2024 public accounts, Anderson received $317,112 in salary that year. Regina city council fires city manager Niki Anderson 57 minutes ago This is the second city manager in a row that has been dismissed without cause. Holden received more than $850,000 when he was fired in 2022. The City of Regina's entire executive team has turned over since Holden's dismissal. The search for a new city manager is not yet underway, but Zachidniak said she's wary of the message sent to possible candidates. "Who is going to want to come work for our city if we've fired the past two city managers without cause?" she said. City council also approved a $40-million budget increase for Regina's planned indoor aquatic facility. The approval passed in a 9-2 vote, with only Ward 1 Coun. Dan Rashovich and Ward 10 Coun. Clark Bezo voting against. The project is now expected to cost a total of $280 million, mostly due to inflation and labour shortages. The city will cover the increase by redirecting $30 million from other projects and taking on an additional $10 million in debt, bringing the total debt financing to $156 million for this project. Regina will be on the hook for $205.9 million for a project originally forecast to cost a total of $180 million in 2021. The federal and provincial governments are contributing $79.2 million through a federal government infrastructure program. The latest budget update is a Class-B estimate, which means it's considered accurate within a margin of error of 10 to 15 per cent.
