Article content

The City of Toronto has abruptly fired the director of its Office of Emergency Management, Charles Jansen.

Jansen said he was relieved of his duties on Wednesday by a deputy city manager and human resources official, who told him the city is taking the office in “a different direction” and that they were worried Jansen “might not be the right fit.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or City of Toronto fires director of Office of Emergency Management in middle of COVID-19 crisis Back to video

The decision to replace Toronto’s top emergency official just as Ontario declares a state of emergency because of a major pandemic will be cause for public concern.

“I’m devastated,” Jansen said in an interview. “It was, for me, what I thought was the perfect calling.”

Jansen said no conflict had occurred that he is aware of, other than perhaps in terms of strategic vision, and he said he enjoyed his work.

The dismissal is within a six-month probationary period that started when Jansen was hired in October, he said.

“I’m still debating about whether I believe the terms are fair or not,” he said.