Two of Yukon’s deputy ministers have been replaced, and have left the government effective immediately.
Justin Ferbey has taken over as deputy minister of economic development, replacing Terry Hayden, who had been in the position since June 2015. Ferbey is also the president of the Yukon Development Corporation.
Bruce McLennan has been appointed interim deputy minister of health and social services. He has replaced Paddy Meade, who’d been in the position since February 2013.
McLennan has previously served as deputy minister of finance, education, and health and social services.
A government spokesperson said she couldn’t comment on the reasons for the changes, adding only that “when senior-level people leave, they leave immediately.”
Hayden, who was reached at his home on Tuesday, called his departure a “parting of the ways,” and said he plans to “take stock a little bit” before deciding what to do next.
This latest announcement means the government has made at least 10 changes to deputy minister appointments in the last year.
In April 2015, the government announced the reassignment of four deputy ministers to the Department of Environment, the public service commission, the executive council office and the Department of Tourism and Culture.
In November, four new appointments were made to the executive council office, the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, the Department of Community Services and the Department of Highways and Public Works.
“With these changes I feel confident that the public service has the leadership team that we need for the years ahead,” Premier Darrell Pasloski said in a news release at the time.