John Collin, who served as Yellowknife’s city manager for a period in April and early May, has accepted the role of managing the City of Thunder Bay.
Collin took over from Sheila Bassi-Kellett at the City of Yellowknife on April 9. On April 23, the city announced he had resigned for personal reasons.
“This is unexpected but council would like to extend our best wishes to John,” Mayor Rebecca Alty was quoted as saying at the time. He agreed to serve out a notice period at the city until mid-May.
On Wednesday afternoon, Thunder Bay newsroom TBNewsWatch said Collin – formerly manager of Saint John, New Brunswick – would become the Ontario municipality’s next manager from June 17.
After this article was first published, the City of Thunder Bay confirmed his appointment in a news release on its website.
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That news release highlighted Collin’s military experience and his work in Saint John, but made no mention of Collin’s time in Yellowknife. He and his wife “eagerly await the opportunity to live, work and play in Thunder Bay,” the statement continued.
“I am excited to join a wonderful team and an even more wonderful city,” he was quoted as saying. “There are incredible opportunities for Thunder Bay to grow and thrive, and I plan to help deliver on that potential while protecting what matters to the community.”
Collin, appearing virtually at a Thunder Bay news conference, said: “My time in Yellowknife was very short – intentionally so. I could have hung around a little bit longer, but I do believe it was easier to leave before my presence was too disruptive.
“I could have easily stayed for a year or two, but I would have been in the middle of implementing all sorts of change and that’s incredibly difficult for an organization.”
Collin added: “It’s not a complicated story. My heart was pulling me back to Ontario for many reasons, most of them private that I would prefer not sharing.”
Bassi-Kellett is returning to the City of Yellowknife as Collin’s interim replacement while a new city manager is found.
