CEO’s wife hired for position with Sun Country:
Hiring review has lots to look at

by Kevin Weedmark

The independent review looking into hiring practices in Sun Country Health Region will have more to look at than the hiring of a vice-president of finance who had been fired from a previous job for lying about his credentials.

Sun Country CEO Cal Tant says he was aware when he hired former Vice-President of Finance Hal Schmidt that Schmidt had been fired from IWK Health Centre in Halifax for lying about his credentials. Schmidt had falsely claimed to be a Chartered Accountant when he applied for the job at IWK.

When the World-Spectator reported on Schmidt’s past and contacted Schmidt, he at first said he had never claimed to be a chartered
accountant when he applied at IWK. But the World-Spectator obtained a copy of the CV he submitted to IWK, in which he clearly claimed to have received his CA designation, and claimed to have articled at a firm in Sudbury, Ont. before being hired “post-designation,” by a client, meaning after he received his CA designation.

Schmidt had lied about his credentials to other employers, and held several positions for which a CA designation was required.

Both CEO Cal Tant and board chair Sharon Bauche stood by the hiring of Schmidt after the information was published.

Based on information gained through the World-Spectator’s reporting, the provincial health ministry first asked for a report from board chair Sharon Bauche on how Schmidt had been hired, then asked for a meeting with Bauche and Tant on the hiring, then ordered an independent review into hiring practices in Sun Country.

After the review was ordered, the World- Spectator uncovered additional information about Schmidt—that he had lent himself $75,000 in public funds from St. Mary’s Hospital in New Westminster, B.C., didn’t repay the loan, was sued by the Fraser Health Authority to recover the funds plus interest, and that he has never paid the outstanding judgement against him.

In the wake of those articles, Schmidt resigned from his position with Sun Country.

The independent review will look into whether proper procedures were followed in the hiring of Schmidt, and will also look into other aspects of hiring practices in Sun Country. The World-Spectator has been asked to provide information for the review. Among allegations that have been made by Sun Country employees to the World-Spectator are that CEO Tant’s wife, a dietitian, was hired as regional director of primary care, that an associate of Tant was hired for a newly created position with no clear job duties, and that Tant routinely brings in friends and associates as contractors to do work that Sun Country employees say could be done by existing employees.

The allegations have been repeated by several different Sun Country employees.

One Sun Country employee, who provided information on the condition of anonymity, asks “What are the processes for tenders for contracts that the CEO recommends and uses and VP of finance oversees? The CEO appears to arbitrarily hire friends and acquaintances for projects that could be done by employees and managers. Who oversees the process for awarding these?”

The review is expected to be completed by mid-September.

Moosomin MLA Don Toth said he hopes the review finds the problem with the hiring process and ways to resolve it. “One has to wonder what kind of information was presented to the board,” Toth said. “Over time you build up some confidence that when administrators come to you they give you all the information available. No doubt the board members have learned they should be ensuring they have all the information they need.”

Board chair Sharon Bauche said she wasn’t concerned any special oversight was needed over the hiring of the CEO’s wife.

“She reports to somebody else and was hired by somebody else so it really isn’t an issue,” said Bauche. She said she hopes the review unveils all the issues with staffing. “The reviewer said staff have been very open with him, so I’m hoping this reveals what the concerns of the staff are.”

She said the board hasn’t identified any changes it could make to its policies to ensure a hiring like Schmidt’s doesn’t happen again. “We don’t know until we see this. Until we have the facts from an outside source we don’t know if we have anything we need to change.”