City confirms dismissal of city manager’s chief of staff, 2 more employees terminated

WATCH: According to multiple sources, city manager Niki Anderson’s chief of staff, Ly Pham, has been terminated.

The City of Regina has confirmed that Ly Pham, the chief of staff to city manager Niki Anderson, was terminated from her position. Two more employees have also been let go, according to the city.

In a message to CTV News late Thursday morning, the city confirmed the termination of Pham, adding that executive assistant to the city manager Christine Pirlot and director of Indigenous relations and community development Audra Young are also no longer with the city.

Pham’s dismissal comes after the city announced Anderson was on leave and on the same day council held a special council meeting to name an interim replacement.

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski told reporters Wednesday the leave was for “a personal matter,” but did not reveal further details.

In a message received early Thursday afternoon, Bachynski’s office confirmed that it was made aware of three changes to the city manager’s office on Wednesday.

In line with city governance structure, the termination of any city employee is not one made by city council.

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“Mayor and city council were not involved in the discussions with those three employees. They do not have authority to make decisions over administration personnel,” the statement read.

City council is only responsible for three employees – the city manager, the city clerk and the city solicitor.

According to Pham’s LinkedIn page, she first joined the city in December 2021 as a policy and public affairs advisor to Sandra Masters, who was mayor at the time.

Pham moved into the role of chief of staff to the city manager in December 2022, one month after Anderson’s hiring.

Prior to working with the city, Pham had been with Economic Development Regina in various capacities.

Pham declined to comment on the matter in response to a request from CTV News.

According to Young’s LinkedIn page, she had served as the director of Indigenous relations since February of 2022.

Prior to her employment at the city, Young served in a number of organizations including Sask Sport and the Community Initiatives Fund.

Anderson’s leave became effective April 29. It is unknown how long her leave will be.

City Clerk Jim Nicol has been named as acting city manager on an interim basis.