BURST
The embattled Metro Vancouver regional district has parted ways with chief administrative officer and commissioner Jerry Dobrovolny, its highest-ranking and best-paid executive.
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley, on behalf of the Metro Vancouver board of directors, announced the move in a news release late Friday afternoon.
“With the upcoming municipal election and ongoing governance reform, the board believes this is the right time to transition leadership and position the organization for its next chapter and has come to an agreement with Jerry regarding this transition,” said Hurley in a statement. “On behalf of the board, I thank Jerry for his many years of public service and contributions to Metro Vancouver as an organization and a region.”
Just days earlier, Metro Vancouver and Dobrovolny were named in a defamation lawsuit brought by outgoing Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart.
Stewart claims he was defamed during public discussions of huge cost overruns for the North Shore wastewater treatment plant, which is now the subject of an independent review after ballooning to an estimated $3.86 billion, nearly five times its original estimate. The civil lawsuit launched by Stewart, who is not seeking re-election in the October municipal elections, was filed in B.C. Supreme Court last Friday.
Metro Vancouver also recently responded to rumours about a “major leadership disruption” at the regional district on its “disinformation and misinformation” page, which was launched by its media relations team last year.
“Fact: Jerry Dobrovolny is still Metro Vancouver’s Commissioner and CAO and Mike Hurley remains Board Chair of the organization,” it said.
Metro’s chief financial officer, Harji Varn, left the executive team in December 2025. Former CFO Linda Sabatini has assumed that role.
“The Metro Vancouver leadership team remains focused on delivering world-class services that over three million residents rely on every day, while providing strong, transparent financial management,” the post said.
When Varn left, concerns were raised about the cost of severance, and Dobrovolny’s departure will surely spark more. He earned $567,338 last year, about $25,000 less than he made in 2024.
At the time of Varn’s exit, there were unconfirmed reports Dobrovolny was on the hot seat as well, but Hurley and others denied his position was at risk and also characterized the rumours as “misinformation.”
Dobrovolny, an engineer, joined the Metro regional district in 2019 after a civic career as an engineer with the City of Vancouver.
Metro’s statement praised Dobrovolny’s “strong leadership” during the challenges of the pandemic and its aftermath, “as Metro Vancouver continued to complete an extensive number of large-scale infrastructure projects despite the increased challenges of inflation and global supply chain disruptions.”
Dobrovolny “led Metro Vancouver as it increased its infrastructure program to over 300 concurrent projects across the region, collaborating with all levels of government and First Nations, and overseeing the implementation of industry best practices in project management to enhance transparency and consistent reporting.”
Metro Vancouver said Heather McNeil, the deputy chief administrative officer, policy and planning, is acting chief CAO and commissioner during the transition.
“Metro Vancouver’s delivery of essential services to residents and member jurisdictions will continue without interruption,” it said.
More to come …