Sturgis residents voice concerns about dismissal of town employee

Public meeting on dismissal of Sturgis employee WATCH: Sturgis residents organized a meeting to show frustration over the dismissal of a foreman. Sierra D’Souza Butts explains.

Sturgis, Sask. — Just over 100 people attended a public meeting in Sturgis, Sask. on Monday evening to voice their concerns about the dismissal of a long-time town employee.

Some residents got together to do up a town-wide petition after former assistant town foreman, Brad Secundiak, was dismissed.

“We were very unhappy for them dismissing Brad Secundiak after 14 years of work. A group of us got together and decided we needed to do a town wide petition,” explained Dean Harris, a resident in Sturgis.

The petition garnered more than 200 signatures, leading to the public meeting. Residents and the town’s council were in attendance to address concerns from the public.

However, during the meeting, Sturgis Town Council stated they could not disclose why Secundiak was dismissed, due to legal reasons.

Many residents addressed their frustration with council’s response, including one Sturgis resident and business owner Amber Bartch.

"Not only was he an employee of the community, he was a friend of everyone in our community and we miss him,” she said.

"We were all in this community together, volunteering, trying to do our best to keep our small town thriving and we really found because of this, we're very divided."

Town councillors said Secundiak was dismissed without cause, but would not comment further to CTV News.

Secundiak did not attend the meeting, and sources say he cannot discuss reasons for his dismissal.

During the meeting, members of the public also raised separate issues to council such as minutes from recent previous council meetings not being posted online, a lack of communication between the local daycare committee and council, and the recent resignation of the town’s mayor.

"Council should be living in a fish bowl, the whole community should be able to see what they're doing, every move they make and everything they say. It's not that way right now, sad to say,” said Harris.

Despite town council and administration not answering questions from residents and CTV News at the meeting, Harris said the public meeting was a step in the right direction for the community to come together.

"Just the fact that we had 120 people, whatever the number is, here tonight, that’s totally amazing,” said Harris.

“They came out in this kind of weather because they had a passion. They had a complete passion to know what's going on and to be able to voice what's going on, to voice their displeasure, that's part of the healing process to say what’s wrong."

Harris said he has received various calls from people in the community who wish to run for council come election time.

Sturgis, Sask. is about 89 kilometres north of Yorkton.