Update at 6:20 p.m. Jan. 8 2026:
Since this story was published, Sudbury.com has received a leaked email to city staff which confirms a prior tip that Paramedic Services Deputy Chief Melissa Roney is no longer employed by the city.
The email was written by Paramedic Services Chief Aaron Archibald and its intended audience was city staff.
"Effective immediately, Melissa Roney is no longer employed with the city," according to the email. "This was a difficult decision, and one made after careful consideration. Melissa made meaningful contributions during her time with the city, and those efforts are recognized and appreciated."
The email notes that the department's efforts were "on maintaining stability and ensuring business continuity," and puts forward an interim jurisdictional structure.
According to her LinkedIn account, Roney had been with the city for 24 years and has served as deputy chief of Emergency Services since 2018. Only a few months ago, she earned a President’s Award during the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs’ annual awards event.
Sudbury.com had previously received confirmation via a leaked email that city Corporate Services general manager Kevin Fowke also had his employment terminated this week.
Although unconfirmed through official sources, Fire Services Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell was similarly reported to have lost his job. We reached out to Fire Services Chief Rob Grimwood for confirmation, but he declined comment until such time as the city issued a statement.
Sudbury.com has received tips that at least one more city manager had their employment ended this week, but we haven't received a strong enough degree of confirmation to report the manager's name. This story will be updated in the event the name is confirmed.
Sudbury.com also has an interview lined up with city CAO Shari Lichterman for Friday afternoon.
Original story:
City Corporate Services general manager Kevin Fowke is no longer employed by the city, with the city eliminating his position and transferring duties to other managers.
This, according to an email to staff from city CAO Shari Lichterman which was leaked to Sudbury.com.
Earlier today, Sudbury.com received a tip that Greater Sudbury Fire Services Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell was no longer employed by the city. This tip was also shared by a reliable source at city hall, but has not been confirmed through an official channel.
We sought confirmation from Fire Services Chief Rob Grimwood, who said he’d decline comment until such time as the city issued a statement, which he described as imminent.
The city’s statement, attributable to city CAO Shari Lichterman, was vague and did not name any names.
Further, she indicated that “privacy” prevented the city from sharing this information.
“The city is undergoing a period of organizational change,” she said. “As part of this work, staffing decisions are being made to support the city’s renewed strategic direction. While privacy prevents the city from discussing specific personnel matters, what we can say is this restructuring is intended to help accelerate the change, ensuring value for taxpayers.”
It's unclear what is preventing the city from sharing which city managers have lost their jobs.
When the city revoked their employment contract with newly hired CFO Hailey Pinksen in late 2022, Mayor Paul Lefebvre hosted a media conference to announce the decision.
Meanwhile, Sudbury.com has been receiving tips that even more city managers have lost their jobs. Three names in addition to Oshell have been bandied about, representing decades of combined experience with the city. Among these three names was that of Fowke, which Lichterman’s leaked email confirms.
Fowke had been with the city for 17 years and was Corporate Services general manager since February 2017. He served a few months as interim CAO leading up to the hiring of Lichterman in early 2025.
In the internal memo leaked to Sudbury.com, Lichterman announced that Fowke was no longer with the city.
“We thank him for his years of service and wish him well in his future endeavors,” she said.
His position has been eliminated and the new reporting structure will be:
- Human Resources and Legal/Clerk’s Services will report the CAO
- Information Technology will report to Margaret Karpenko (CFO)
- Corporate Security/Bylaw will report to Kris Longston (GM, Planning & Growth).
“These are really difficult decisions to make and we ensure employees who leave the organization are treated fairly and respectfully,” Lichterman said in the memo.
“The organization is moving in a new direction, and we appreciate the contributions from everyone who helped us get here today. I look forward to sharing more of the new vision and priorities in the coming weeks.”
Sudbury.com will continue to seek confirmation of the other city managers who have lost their jobs this week.
It has been a time of significant change for City of Greater Sudbury management, starting with city council’s decision in late 2024 to dismiss then-CAO Ed Archer after eight years with the city.
Lichterman was hired to fill the CAO position in early 2025, which was followed by a series of management changes as the city rejigged its manager positions.
Greater Sudbury Fire and Paramedic Services Chief Joseph Nicholls retired and was replaced by Rob Grimwood, formerly deputy chief of the City of Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services as Fire Services chief and longtime paramedic and city director Aaron Archibald as Paramedic Services chief.
Various other notable hires and promotions took place during the year, including Strategic Initiatives and Communications director Brigitte Pilon, Planning Services director Melissa Riou, Community Services general manager Ken Stuebing, city Finance executive director and CFO Margaret Karpenko, Community Infrastructure general manager Antti Vikko, Community Well-Being general manager Tyler Campbell and Planning and Growth general manager Kris Longston.
Earlier this week, a city media release announced that city council voted in closed session last month to close the Office of the Auditor General.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.