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Ian Potter, the vice-president of the National Research Council who has spent 16 months on language training at a cost of more than $90,000 plus salary, has resigned.

His email to employees went out Wednesday afternoon, effective immediately.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or $90,000 and 16 months of language training later, NRC executive resigns before returning to work Back to video

Potter says he will spend the summer with his family and then pursue other career opportunities. He didn’t leave a forwarding address, advising colleagues instead to go through his longtime assistant at NRC if they wish to contact him.

Potter, who is in his late fifties, has spent the past 16 months doing full-day individual French lessons in his home town of Edmonton, at a cost of $455 a day. The total through March was about $90,000; the amount of April’s bill from the University of Alberta is not known yet.

He has remained on salary in the range of $168,500 to $202,300, while an acting vice-president has been appointed to replace him and has been doing his job in Ottawa.