Guelph Deputy CAO, Who Left Guelph For Orillia, Loses New Job

Trevor Lee, listed as a deputy chief administrative officer (CAO) for the City of Guelph, will not be taking on the role of CAO for the City of Orillia as previously planned.

Lee was scheduled to begin the new position on April 14. However, on April 7, Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac rescinded the hiring decision and instead appointed Amanpreet Singh Sidhu – Orillia’s deputy CAO and city solicitor since July 2020 – as CAO, effective immediately.

The change was made using strong mayor powers recently granted to McIsaac. In a formal letter, the mayor said the city is at a critical point and emphasized the need for “strong, stable, and proven leadership” during this time.

Lee has served as deputy CAO for the City of Guelph since 2017. According to public salary disclosures, he received $254,011 in salary and $7,896 in taxable benefits in 2024.

As of April 7, his outgoing voicemail at Guelph City Hall still identified him as deputy CAO. His profile on the City of Guelph’s website and on LinkedIn also continued to list him in that position.

Guelph CAO Tara Baker declined to confirm Lee’s current employment status, stating via email that she would not comment on personnel matters.

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie acknowledged the situation and said it would be up to Lee to determine his next steps.