Thessalon First Nation has been hit with a civil suit by its former executive director amid allegations she was wrongfully dismissed from her role last year.
Lesley Boulrice is seeking $477,713 in damages — representing salary, benefits and court costs — after her employment was allegedly terminated without cause, according to a statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court on Jan. 31.
The allegations have not been tested in court and a statement of defence has yet to be filed.
The former executive director was hired full-time in February 2024. She was responsible for advising Thessalon First Nation leadership on a number of administrative and operational matters, while acting as the liaison between band council, staff, community members, funders and partners.
Court documents suggest that Boulrice signed an employment contract to work for the First Nation on a fixed-term basis until November 2028.
In the document, Boulrice claims that a term of her employment stated she would be paid for the entirety of that contract, including $97,500 in annual base salary, in addition to pension contributions, vacation pay and a monthly phone allowance.
It was also claimed that she would be compensated for an additional year’s wages under the contract, court documents show.
Boulrice alleges she was fired on October 15, 2024 without cause, and was provided with a payment in lieu of two weeks' notice.
She also claims Thessalon First Nation offered her four weeks of salary to sign a “full and final release,” but Boulrice did not accept that offer.
The employment contract for the now-former executive director was amended in September 2024, according to court documents, with the provision that Thessalon First Nation would pay for the “compensation owing for the remainder of the term as well as one year of service” in the event Boulrice was terminated without cause.
There were 49 months remaining on Boulrice's contract at the time of her dismissal, court documents show.
The turfed executive director is also seeking court costs, along with both pre-judgment and post-judgment interest on all amounts found owing to the plaintiff.
Aaron Zaltzman, a lawyer with Whitten & Lublin PC who is representing Boulrice, declined to comment on the matter in an email to SooToday Thursday.
Legal counsel for Thessalon First Nation, meanwhile, have signalled their intent on defending the action in court.
“While we are limited in what we can say at this stage, it is clear that Ms. Boulrice’s statement of claim contains a range of fundamental misrepresentations,” said Danny Kaster, a lawyer with Kastor Ko LLP, in an email to SooToday.
“Thessalon First Nation is in the process of preparing its statement of defence, which will reveal what actually occurred.”
Boulrice’s name may be familiar to some readers.
Last year, SooToday reported that the elections appeal board for Thessalon First Nation concluded the November 2023 elections for chief and council were riddled with “serious” breaches of the community’s own electoral code.
It also admonished Boulrice, along with a staff member, for defying the First Nation’s electoral code by withholding election appeals from the appointed board for a period of eight months.
While two of the appeals found evidence supporting two electoral code breaches — a failure to provide two colour-coded ballots for elections of chief and council, and band members being permitted to vote without presenting identification — the board found the breaches could not be proven to alter the outcome of the election.
Boulrice’s statement of claim marks the second time Thessalon First Nation has been sued by a former director.
As previously reported by SooToday, former director of operations Mary Jane Wardell launched a civil suit, seeking $850,000 in damages for wrongful termination, claiming she was kicked to the curb for allegedly “failing to be in line with the directive” of new leadership following the 2023 band election for chief and council.