Former director drops wrongful dismissal lawsuit against Cherry Brook Zoo

Former Cherry Brook Zoo director Leonard Collrin is no longer suing the zoo's board of trustees for wrongful dismissal. 

Board chair Heather Crawford said in a statement that the board received formal legal notification that a discontinuance has been filed with the Court of Queen's Bench.

"This development now concludes Mr. Collrin's legal action against Cherry Brook Zoo of Saint John Inc.," Crawford said. 

Collrin filed the wrongful dismissal suit against the board after he was fired in July 2016 from the zoo on the outskirts of Saint John.

He and his wife, Lynda Collrin, were evicted from a residence on zoo property soon after. Collrin started the zoo with his wife and was a paid employee for 37 years. Lynda Collrin worked as a volunteer.

The statement from the board said no financial compensation was provided by the zoo's board of trustees to secure the discontinuance.

When reached for comment, Collrin said his decision to discontinue the lawsuit was based on his own financial situation and an unwillingness to spend a lot of money pursuing the lawsuit.

"If I remortgaged my house to see this through to the end, because I'm quite justified in doing what I was doing, there would be no gain."

Collrin said taking into account his age, and how long it has gone on so far, he wasn't willing to continue. 

"There are other considerations and for peace of mind, I'll get on with it. I'm calling it a forced retirement, whatever." 

In its statement of defence, the board said zoo staff became aware of financial irregularities in April 2015 and the board was notified of the allegations on July 4, 2016, prompting an urgent meeting and an investigation.

The two sides offered differing accounts of how many purchases came to be handled at the zoo.

Collrin claimed in his lawsuit that the zoo was unable to obtain its own credit, and the couple used their personal credit cards to finance "day-to-day operations," which were then reimbursed.

But the board said the zoo had the ability to get financing on its own and alleged the Collrins "were eager" to use their personal cards because of the rewards they could earn.

Investigation continuing

The board asked the Saint John Police Force to investigate possible financial irregularities and Crawford said that investigation is continuing, though Collrin said it had been dropped. 

Crawford told CBC News the board knew the discontinuance was coming because the board had to sign off on it.

She said the board can now focus on making things better at the zoo in terms of sustainability and development.

"Donations are very important to us," Crawford said. "We're looking at plans to ensure the continued support of the community, what kind of additional support we might get from organizations.

"We're also looking at development for the future of the zoo, and how are we're going to continue to evolve it, and what's it going to look like in maybe 10 years time." 

Crawford said the board has had no interaction with the Collrins since July 2016.