Chatham-Kent is losing one of its top senior managers.
Dr. April Rietdyk, the municipality’s General Manager of Community Human Services, attended her last council meeting on Monday and is retiring by the end of this year.
She has been with the municipality for 27 years and has a 39 year career working in the health and human services sector.
Rietdyk praised Chatham-Kent as a great place and a great place to work.
She said in the end it’s all about people.
“Never forget that people matter, the people we serve, the people that we work with, the people that we have good times and bad times with. That’s what makes Chatham-Kent tick and I’m honoured and proud to be a part of that for many, many years,” Rietdyk said.
Rietdyk was called an incredible leader by Chatham-Kent’s chief administrative officer Michael Duben.
“She built a reputation in the municipality but also regionally and I would even say provincially as an excellent leader and an incredible source of knowledge,” Duben said. “There is not a lot of people in April’s space that haven’t come across her that are not impressed with her.”
Rietdyk’s leadership skills were tested as she led Chatham-Kent through the COVID-19 pandemic and supported Wheatley residents following the 2021 explosion.
Mayor Darrin Canniff said whenever Rietdyk speaks at council meetings, everyone is glued to what she says, noting she commands a lot of respect for her knowledge and expertise.
Dr. Rietdyk’s position is responsible for a large, diverse department that provides a full range of human services to Chatham-Kent residents, including Children’s Services, Employment and Social Services, Housing Services, Public Health, and Seniors Services.
