Waltham’s director general (DG) Annik Plante announced her resignation at Wednesday’s monthly council meeting, citing a “toxic” work environment at the municipality and a “deterioration” of her relationship with the mayor.
In her resignation letter, which she submitted to council earlier this month, Plante said the decision was not one that she took lightly, and arrived at after a long period of reflection.
She said the working environment became increasingly difficult, citing a lack of collaboration and communication from Waltham mayor Jordan Evans, who entered office after the Nov. 2025 municipal elections.
“[It] has created situations where I no longer feel supported in my role or able to carry out my duties in a healthy and professional environment,” she said.
In her letter, Plante said she consistently felt resistance from the mayor while trying to carry out the duties of her job, even going so far as to say that she felt “questioned” in her work and the decisions she made.
“Rather than feeling trusted and respected in the role I was hired to perform, I have often felt [ . . . ] unsupported. It has become difficult working in an environment where I feel there is little respect for me, my position and the work and dedication I bring to the municipality.”
Plante said after much deliberation, the “stress, tension and ongoing conflicts in the workplace” became overwhelming, and that she felt that stepping away was her best decision for her well-being.
At the meeting, mayor Evans thanked Plante for her service to the municipality but offered no response to the specific allegations. In an email to THE EQUITY later in the week, Evans said that she takes Plante’s concerns “very seriously”, but claimed that Plante’s letter was the first time many of these concerns had been brought to her attention.
“The resignation letter reflected the Director General’s perspective and experience of the situation,” Evans wrote. “I believe it is possible for differing perspectives to exist regarding communication, governance and working approaches while all parties are still attempting to serve the Municipality.”
With regard to Plante’s comments on collaboration and communication, Evans claimed not to know what Plante was specifically referring to. She said that as mayor, she “may have deliberately tried to steer away from becoming involved in day-to-day administrative operations.”
Plante has been Waltham’s DG since March 2024, shortly after the start of an investigation by the Commission Municipale de Québec (CMQ) into the previous DG, who resigned prior to the start of the investigation.
The report into the previous DG’s 39-year tenure found several violations of provisions of the Municipal Code of Quebec and of ethical rules applicable to municipal employees. The report said that his acts, which included having mayors sign blank cheques and keeping his wife on payroll, were a “serious case of mismanagement within a public body and an abuse of public funds.”
In addition to the regular administrative functions of the DG, part of Plante’s work was to re-examine administrative practices in the municipality.
“Because of the administrative failures of the [past DG], she finds herself with a colossal amount of work in front of her, and has to completely reconstruct the archives of the Municipality, all the while accomplishing the normal tasks associated with the job,” reads the report.
Regarding progress following the CMQ report, Evans said she cannot comment on improvements to Waltham’s administrative practices until the auditor’s reports are received. She said the municipality expects to receive those in the next month.
“Council has had extensive discussions over the past months regarding governance practices, financial controls, transparency, emergency management, and administrative procedures,” she wrote.
Plante’s position with Waltham will end on June 4, after which she will begin a new position as assistant director general with the Municipality of L’Isle-aux-Allumettes.
Waltham council also passed a motion to offer the interim DG position to the current administrative assistant. Discussions about recruitment for the permanent DG position are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
