A former 20-year provincial employee is suing the Province of Manitoba after he says the province dismissed him while dismantling the East Side Road Authority, despite promises to ensure "maximum employment" for staff left without jobs.

Samuel Singha of St. Andrews, Man., was a project manager with the now-disbanded East Side Road Authority when the newly minted Progressive Conservative government announced the authority would be integrated into the Department of Infrastructure in May 2016.

The authority was established by the then NDP government in 2009 with a mandate to build the 156-kilometre East Side Road, which would link numerous remote communities along the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

In a news release sent in September 2016, then infrastructure minister Blaine Pedersen — now minister of growth, enterprise and trade — said dismantling it was an effort to reduce duplication, and the government would make efforts to employ workers who lost their jobs as a result.

"We are determined to minimize the impact of this transition on employees by ensuring maximum employment opportunities for those affected," he said in the release.

"We will conduct both direct offer and competitive processes for ESRA staff to continue to have the opportunity to compete for open job opportunities."

A statement of claim filed on Singha's behalf says Singha, who had worked for the authority for three years and the province for two decades, was passed over for multiple job openings he was qualified for and ultimately wound up unemployed. The document says the province was negligent and breached its duty of care to Singha.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

A spokesperson for the Manitoba government told CBC News the province is aware of the suit.

"The province is aware of this case and the statement of claim will be reviewed to determine its position," the spokesperson wrote in an email. "Since this is an ongoing legal matter, the province is unable to comment further."

'Misleading' promises: claim

Benjamin Hecht, Singha's lawyer, told CBC News he and his client weren't available for comment Friday.

The statement of claim, which was filed to the Court of Queen's Bench on March 12, says Singha started as a project manager with the authority in August 2013 and got his 10-weeks notice in September 2016.

The document says the province told Singha twice in September that new employment opportunities would be made available for East Side Road Authority staff. In October, the statement says, he was told those jobs included four project manager positions which were term positions, and two permanent ones, to be filled through competition or direct appointment.

The province also allegedly told Singha qualified candidates for continued employment would be considered for the direct appointments if they weren't successful in the competitions.

Singha didn't pursue other employment opportunities outside of the province based on what he'd been told, the statement says.

"As a result of his qualifications, ability, prior work performance and seniority, the Plaintiff was qualified for a number of the continuing employment opportunities, including all of the project manager positions," the statement of claim argues.

But the document says that shortly before his termination date, Singha was informed he wouldn't be offered any of those jobs. He was officially terminated on Nov. 25.

The claim calls the province's promises "untrue, inaccurate and/or misleading."

It argues the province was obligated to provide Singha just cause for termination, and to compensate him for damages if he was terminated outside the terms of his employment agreement, as per the agreement itself.

It also argues Singha suffered a loss of the opportunity to seek other employment, and the opportunity to continue to contribute into his pension plan.

Singha is claiming general and special damages plus legal costs from the province.