City of Penticton responds to former fire chief’s wrongfull dismissal law suit

PENTICTON – The City of Penticton is denying it did anything wrong, other than one small error, when it parted ways with the former fire chief.

Wayne Williams has sued the city for alleged wrongful dismissal over a dispute about his retirement date, salary increases and other issues.

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In its court-filed response to the law suit, the city says: “The Defendant has dealt with the Plaintiff in good faith throughout his employment and in relation to his retirement, and there is no basis for any claim for damages relating to his employment with the Defendant and/or the termination of that employment as a result of retirement, including without limitation punitive or aggravated damages or damages for mental stress.”

However, the city concedes its HR manager should not have asked Williams to turn in his uniform after his retirement.

“The minor error in relation to the Plaintiffs retention of his uniform was fully rectified within a few days and caused no harm to the Plaintiff. This minor mistake does not demonstrate any ill will on the part of the Defendant and does not give rise to any claim for damages,” states the Response to Civil Claim.

The city also denies Williams’ assertion that he’s owed monies for severance, unused vacation and Earned Time Off.

The city says it has tried to have a retirement party for the former fire chief but he has declined to participate.

“While the Plaintiff did perform his duties as Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Chief with diligence, there were issues with the Plaintiff’s performance and attitude in the last few years of his employment, which the Defendant attempted to address with him,” states the court filing.