The next time local firefighters sit at the bargaining table with the City of Burnaby, Mayor Mike Hurley won’t be there.
Hurley, a recently retired firefighter and former president of the local union, said he will recuse himself from the process.
“It's just too close to me,” he said.
Hurley said he stepped down as a vice president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in order to take on the top job at Burnaby City Hall.
In 2016, a long contract battle between the city and IAFF Local 323 ended in arbitration. The firefighters got what they were asking for but not before a bitter years-long dispute.
Hurley said he will not be involved in any aspect of the contract negotiations when the current collective agreement expires at the end of 2019.
