I reviewed the report on the concerns of hiring Mr. Prefontaine as presented by Mr. Stone and I fully agree with the report.
The report highlights two issues: First, and foremost, is what were the rules that were followed or not followed by the city manager doing the hiring. Second, is should have Mr. Gilles Prefonatiane been selected based on his qualifications.
It also outlines a major breach of privacy by the city that the names of the other four applicants were not redacted when the info was provided to Mr. Stone and although Mr. Stone did not report names and the names in the Gazette website were redacted (names blacked out) a quick search of the LinkedIn data it is very easy to identify individual names based on their particular resumes.
This breach of privacy by the city is a major risk and opens the very real possibility of significant law suites and or fines. The Privacy Act says any breaches of private info should be disclosed to the people affected and to the privacy commission as soon as possible.
This issue further supports the urgent need for an independent Internal Auditor position in the city that would investigate and report these types of concerns directly to council. The residents of St. Albert deserve a full independent review of this ongoing situation.
Mike Killick, St. Albert
