The City of Windsor is again the defendant in a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Former city planner Thomas Hunt has filed the suit, claiming that members of the City administration intentionally kept him out of the loop on projects, assigned his duties to other employees, threatened him, and falsely accused him of unethical conduct.
According to the statement of claim obtained by WindsorNewsToday.ca, Hunt, 60, is seeking $2.83-million in damages for wrongful dismissal, breach of contract, and dismissal in bad faith.
This is the second time this year that the City has been the target of a wrongful termination action. Former City Engineer Chris Nepszy filed suit in March, claiming he was improperly dismissed during an administration shuffle by Mayor Drew Dilkens, who was exercising strong-mayor powers. The City submitted its statement of defence in May, in which it denied Nepszy's claims.
The statement of claim said that Hunt had worked as the city planner for 16 years, and was an employee of the City for 25 years.
The City had given Hunt an 18-month notice of termination on January 24, 2023, according to court documents, meaning that his separation from the City took effect on Friday. During that period, Hunt said he was expected to continue performing his duties and mentor new staff.
Hunt claimed, among other things, that his dismissal was retaliation for reporting on the housing shortage affecting Windsor and most Ontario municipalities.
"Mr. Hunt had issued a series of public reports, in his capacity as Chair of the Regional Planning Commissioners of Ontario (RPCO), which were critical of the provincial government’s legislative reforms connected to development of the Ontario Greenbelt and the provincial housing crisis," read the statement of claim.
Hunt also said that requests made to the administration to increase staff in his department were rejected by City Council, despite concerns made in the mayor's office that the shortages coincided with an unexpected increase in development applications.
A staff increase was approved on January 23, 2023, one day before being issued a termination letter, listing the reason for separation as a "change in position".
According to the statement of claim, the stress Hunt felt at that point led him to take a six-month medical leave, which ended in January of this year. Upon his return, Hunt claimed he was reprimanded for improper contact with the media.
Hunt is represented by Danny Kastner of Toronto-based law firm Kastner Ko LLP. The case will be heard at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice's civil division in Toronto.
The claims have not been proven in court.
"We are aware of the statement of claim filed by Thom Hunt against the City of Windsor. The City denies all of the allegations and will defend itself accordingly. As this has now become a legal matter, we will refrain from further comment and allow the legal process to take its course." said the City of Windsor.