It's been a terrible 24 hours for the local Conservation Authority's Human Resources Director Mark Bremer.
First, he put his job on the line by going public about how toxic the workplace is and how the employees there are suffering.
See: Local Conservation Authority in 'total chaos' says its own HR director
Then, early this morning he received a call from his aging mother, who still lives in his home country of Romania, that his father was taken off life support and had died.
"Today, my mom called and she told me. He was in the hospital on life support since last week," he told BayToday.
Bremer says he notified management at the Conservation Authority last week about how dire the situation with his father was and the possibility of his death. "Last week on Tuesday, I called David Ellingwood, the deputy CAO, and provided this info that I may be off for my father's funeral because the doctors said he is not going to make it."
He wants to attend his father's funeral in Romania, and went to work this morning to collect some things.
It was then he learned management had changed the lock on his office door, and he was locked out.
Bremer says he returned to his hotel room to "just think about my father."
"I cannot attend any meetings or take any calls and hopefully it is understood what is the reason."
Management has declined comment.
The changes to the office lock come on the heels of an email sent to Bremer by NBMCA Board Chair Shelley Belanger requesting a meeting at 2 p.m. today to discuss Bremer's conduct and the BayToday story. Bremer, understandably, did not reply.
Bremer has requested three days of bereavement leave but adds that may stretch to two weeks if he can catch a flight home to Romania.
Because of his role as whistleblower, and that he has only been employed for just over a month, Bremer told BayToday that he expects CAO Chithra Gowda will fire him on his return to North Bay.
