Bernard Riordon is out as transition CEO of the New Brunswick Museum after less than a year on the job.
A statement from the museum’s board said Riordon was asked to “step away from his role” in January.
“The without-cause termination of the contract between the NBM and Mr. Riordon’s consulting company, B.L. Riordon & Associates, became effective on January 22, 2022,” acting board chair Kathryn Hamer said in the statement.
“As a result of circumstances that were not foreseen at the time of the agreement made with Mr. Riordon’s company, the Board determined that the agreement would be ended,” Hamer added, without elaborating further.
Riordon was hired in May 2021 to help with “revitalizing the museum so that New Brunswickers can continue to enjoy a facility that houses so much of the province’s rich natural and cultural history,” said a news release from the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture at the time.
In an interview that same day, Riordon said one of his responsibilities was to lead a major national capital campaign and look for support from various levels of government and the private sector to raise money to address the long-term space needs for the museum’s facilities.
The New Brunswick Museum currently operates out of two main facilities: its Collections and Research Centre at 277 Douglas Ave. in Saint John, which is owned by the province; and the Exhibition Centre at Market Square in Saint John, which is leased from the private sector.
A push for a new facility seemed to be paying off for the museum into late 2018, with momentum building from long-time community discussion around such a project over two decades.
But the conversation stalled after the Higgs government pulled $50 million in funding for at the time was a new combined New Brunswick Museum space proposed for the Saint John waterfront, a move that frustrated the museum’s board of directors who claimed they were not consulted before the funding promise was dropped.
Meanwhile, Hamar said staff are working on a “comprehensive collections management initiative” while they await decisions about their “critically important facility renewal project.”
“This is a complex and time-consuming task that will require our full attention in the coming months,” she said.”
“While this work is underway, we will continue to work closely with Provincial officials and their Federal partners to support the development and finalization of a facilities plan that will make New Brunswickers proud.”
Hamar went on to thank Riordon for his “efforts and guidance” to date.
Our newsroom was unable to reach Riordon for comment prior to publication.
With files from Brad Perry, Tyler McLean.
