Victoria mayor slams B.C. premier over firefighter suspension [Video]

The mayor of Victoria says she is “extremely disappointed” in B.C. Premier David Eby for publicly weighing in on the suspension of a city firefighter this week.

Mayor Marianne Alto on Friday reaffirmed that she had nothing to do with the decision to suspend firefighter Josh Montgomery after he penned an open letter to the premier opposing the city’s support for a planned homeless outreach centre in his neighbourhood.

The letter touched off a political firestorm after a B.C. Conservative candidate in the upcoming provincial election seized on the firefighter’s cause and claimed his suspension was a “chilling retaliation” for political speech.

The firefighter’s union issued its own statement on the suspension, decrying the “misinformation that has been circulated amongst the public regarding employment matters with one of our members.”

Eby and Alto initially distanced themselves from the matter, with both issuing statements saying they had nothing to do with …