Lawsuit may have added to club's financial woes

 

 By Austin Grabish, The Selkirk Record

 

A community club already riddled in a financial mess may have spent more than $62,000 on wages a former employee sued for after he was told to either quit or be fired from his job as icemaker and facility manager. 

Darren Zembik stood at the helm of the St. Andrews Community Club for nearly three decades before being told last March he had to quit or be fired. 

Zembik, a St. Andrews resident and Olympic torchbearer, although reluctant at first opted for the first option and quit his job last April. 

And now the Record has learned Zembik sued his former employer for lost income after he quit.

Court records obtained by the Record show Zembik sued the community club for $62,022.78 shortly after his departure from the club. 

A statement of claim, which has since been discontinued, alleged the community club breached a contract with Zembik that said he would be employed until September 2019.

Documents state Zembik would be paid $50,944.55 a year plus GST with an annual increase of two per cent per year starting in 2009. 

The documents also say Zembik would be paid an additional $3,500 plus GST seasonally to make outdoor ice. 

A statement of defence filed by the community club denied a contract between Zembik and the club contained “any terms of employment,” but admitted Zembik was paid to supervise maintenance at the club and deal with emergency situations. 

The club also denied there was any separate employment agreement relating to outdoor ice. 

The lawsuit was discontinued on Sept. 29, 2014, but Zembik never returned to work. 

Community club finance chair Patrick Gordon refused to comment on the matter, citing a non-disclosure agreement that prevents information from the lawsuit from being shared. 

“We’ve settled that and there was a non-disclose signed so that’s pretty much all we can say,” Gordon said.

Zembik also said he couldn’t discuss details about the lawsuit, but in a text, said, “I’m pleased with the outcome.”

Zembik is no stranger to the St. Andrews community. 

In 2009, RBC recognized him as being one of Canada’s most devoted hockey volunteers for the hundreds of hours he gave to hockey in his community. 

He was also recognized in the Hockey Hall of Fame, carried the 2010 Olympic torch, and RBC donated $10,000 to a local hockey cause in his name. 

Hundreds of residents rallied in support of Zembik last year when he was told he would be fired if he did not step down from his job. 

A Facebook page and online petition that called for Zembik to keep his job and the dismantling of the community club’s board, garnered hundreds of signatures and “likes.” 

Former St. Andrews Mayor Don Forfar told the Record last year he was inundated with calls from concerned residents who didn’t want Zembik to leave. 

The RM of St. Andrews provides thousands in funding to the club, but an independent board runs the organization. 

The club’s finances have been in ruins in recent years, and are currently the subject of an RCMP probe that will determine if any criminal wrongdoing took place at the club. 

 -- First published in the Selkirk Record print edition June 11 2015 p.4