The City of Nanaimo’s former chief administrative officer who was once arrested for allegedly making threats has taken a senior leadership role with the federal government.
Tracy Samra — who now goes by the name Tracy Fleck — has been hired as senior executive director of Indigenous Partnership Office West with the Department of Natural Resources, where she will be overseeing Indigenous relations for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.
The position comes with an annual salary ranging from $145,000 to $165,000 annually.
A spokesperson for the department confirmed the hiring with CHEK News but declined to comment further on the matter.
According to the job description, Fleck’s responsibilities will also include overseeing Indigenous advisory and monitoring committees for the TMX pipeline project.
“This position serves as one of the most senior federal public servants in British Columbia and requires a consensus builder to work collaboratively with Indigenous groups on important issues in the natural resources sector,” reads the posting.
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Ms. Fleck was the City of Nanaimo’s first female and Indigenous chief administrative officer from 2015 until she was fired in 2018.
Her firing came a few months after she was arrested by RCMP after allegations that threats were uttered at or near Nanaimo city hall during an alleged incident on Jan. 31, 2018.
Nanaimo RCMP said at the time that a handful of city staffers and politicians, including then-mayor Bill McKay, had reasonable grounds to fear personal harm as a result of the alleged incident.
The City of Nanaimo later released financial records showing she had made thousands of dollars in personal expenses using a city-issued credit card, including a $153 purchase at The Clinic for Cats.
Fleck was also the subject of a peace bond application brought forward by the B.C. Prosecution Service as a result of the alleged incident. However, the application was dropped nearly a year later after the special prosecutor assigned to the case determined the matter was no longer in the public’s interest.
While employed at the city, she openly complained about the working environment and the Snuneymuxw First Nation expressed concerns about alleged workplace violence she had experienced.
Fleck has since filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against the City of Nanaimo, former mayor Bill McKay and current councillor Sheryl Armstrong. The case is still pending.
After her termination, Fleck served as Musqueam Indian Band’s chief administrative officer. She also produced and directed Diversion, a short film — somewhat based on her own experiences — about a city manager and a group of young elected officials trying to change the current establishment.
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Nicholas Pescod
