AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of the reported event.
- calendar_today November 11, 2026
City Manager Walter Babicz Absent Following Special Council Session
Walter Babicz, the city manager of Prince George, is currently away from his position after a closed-door city council meeting took place on Sunday morning to discuss personnel matters. This development comes shortly after the new city council, sworn in just days earlier, began its term.
Details Surrounding Babicz's Absence
CBC News has confirmed that Babicz, the top-ranking city administrator, is not at work. An automatic email response from Babicz indicates he is "out of office" with no specified date for his return. A city spokesperson confirmed the absence but did not provide further details on the reasons for his leave or the expected duration.
Prince George's mayor and city councillors have declined to comment publicly on the situation.
Background: The Role of the City Manager
The city manager, or chief administrative officer (CAO), is a non-political role responsible for translating council policy into daily operations at city hall. This includes managing department heads, overseeing approximately 1,000 municipal staff, and guiding the city's $185 million annual budget. The city manager holds hiring and firing authority for municipal employees.
Babicz was appointed as city manager full-time in 2021 after serving in an interim capacity for nine months. He had previously worked as Prince George's manager of legislative services from 2008 to 2020.
According to city reporting, Babicz received $295,730.11 in base pay in 2025, with total compensation and expenses amounting to $326,248.91. The director of administrative services, Eric Depenau, is serving as acting city manager during Babicz's absence.
Recent Election and Calls for Change
The timing of Babicz's absence aligns with a period of change at city hall. During the recent election campaign, now-seated councillors expressed intentions to revisit upper management structures. Several new councillors without prior elected experience joined the council, alongside returning members and Mayor Garth Frizzell.
In the past, councillors Brian Skakun and Trudy Klassen advocated for lowering the voting threshold required to terminate the city manager’s employment—from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority—arguing that the shift would make council decisions more reflective of members’ will. Their motion to have the province change this requirement was defeated, with only Skakun, Klassen, and then-mayor Simon Yu voting in favour.
Debate Over Municipal Leadership and Structure
B.C.'s Community Charter mandates that at least two-thirds of Prince George council members—at least six out of nine, including the mayor—must agree to remove the city manager. This high bar has been a topic of debate; Skakun and Klassen have previously criticized the requirement on public forums, describing city managers as "entrenched" due to this provision. Klassen also questioned existing whistleblower and conduct policies, suggesting they centralize too much authority with the city manager.
Klassen highlighted that the Community Charter only requires a financial officer and a legislative officer as permanent staff, not a city manager, though such a structural change would involve revising city bylaws.
Looking Ahead: Council's Next Steps
No comments on Babicz’s future have been made by council or city hall, and neither Skakun nor Klassen responded to inquiries regarding their statements.
The first regular council meeting with the new cohort is scheduled for Monday, where the topic of city management and upper administration could be further discussed, although it remains unclear if Babicz’s situation will be openly addressed.
Related coverage
Source: cbc.ca.
