Coquitlam arborist fired for 29 hours of ‘time theft’ wins job back

A longtime City of Coquitlam arborist fired for “time theft” after an investigation will get his job back, after a labour arbitrator ruled termination was too severe a punishment.

On Aug. 19, arbitrator Christopher Foy ordered the city to reinstate Aidon Pyne to his former field arborist position effective Sept. 8, without back pay but with no loss of seniority. Pyne had worked for Coquitlam for about 14 years before he was fired in December 2025.

The case centred on a city investigation that used GPS data from Pyne’s work vehicle, work records and information from the fitness-tracking app Strava to examine his breaks.

The investigation ultimately concluded Pyne took 1,762 minutes – just over 29 hours – of unauthorized break time across 14 days between May and October 2025. Foy accepted the city’s evidence and found the conduct amounted to time theft serious enough to warrant discipline.

However, the arbitrator found outright sacking Pyne went too far.

“On balance, I conclude that the trust which is fundamental to the employment relationship is not irreparably broken,” Foy said.

The investigation into Pyne grew out of an unrelated complaint received by the city on June 30, 2025, about a municipal vehicle allegedly being parked for hours during the workday at a residential condo complex.

That investigation found two employees had used a city gym for longer than their allotted lunch breaks. One of those workers told investigators he had also seen members of the city’s tree crew at the gym, prompting Coquitlam to expand its investigation to the entire crew.

Pyne was a member of the five-person crew. He had previously worked as a working foreman and spent 14 months as acting manager of urban forestry and the cemetery before returning to a field arborist position following a reorganization in 2023.

The city audited GPS records from Pyne’s assigned vehicle between May 1 and Oct. 24, 2025.

Investigators found the vehicle spent longer than breaks permitted at the JJ Bean coffee shop on Ponderosa Street and at a location on Cortes Avenue where Pyne parked before going for runs near the Coquitlam River. City work-management records showed no tree work or service requests at those locations during the extended stops.

On the 14 days selected by the city, the excess break time ranged from 74 minutes to 169 minutes per day.

Foy rejected arguments from CUPE Local 386 that the total should be reduced, finding the city had established all 1,762 minutes.

He also found Pyne’s conduct was not an isolated lapse. Pyne knew how much break time he was allowed, had been going to the coffee shop for breaks for about a year and had a regular lunchtime running routine.

“Theft of time is a serious offence, regardless of the amount of time,” Foy said, adding Pyne worked largely unsupervised and the city trusted him to perform his duties. “I have no hesitation in finding that Mr. Pyne’s actions, in particular with respect to his lunch running routine, was a sustained premeditated pattern of misconduct.”

The union also challenged the city’s use of GPS and Strava information, arguing Pyne’s privacy rights had been breached.

Foy rejected both arguments.

Coquitlam has had a GPS policy since 2014 allowing the technology to be used for purposes including complaint and incident investigations. Foy found the city had a legitimate reason to examine the records after receiving information suggesting tree-crew employees were taking excessively long breaks.

The arbitrator also found the city provided sufficient notice to employees about GPS monitoring, including through decals placed in municipal vehicles.

Pyne used Strava to track his lunchtime runs, sometimes running alone and sometimes with other members of the tree crew. Some runs were shared with about 18 followers, including city colleagues, while others were posted more broadly to the public. A city manager provided investigators with relevant posts.

Foy found Pyne had no reasonable expectation that those posts would remain private because there were no restrictions preventing recipients from sharing them.

Several factors weighed against Pyne.

He had previously received a two-day suspension in 2024 for insubordination and unprofessional and confrontational workplace conduct. He was also a senior employee and former manager who generally worked without direct supervision.

But Foy found Pyne had sincerely apologized and accepted responsibility.

During the city’s investigation, Pyne described his actions as “terrible time mgmt.,” and said the amount of time involved was “unacceptable.” At the arbitration hearing, Foy found Pyne’s apology genuine and said he apologized to both the city and taxpayers.

Foy also pointed to Pyne’s 14 years of service and concluded his prospects for good behaviour were strong.

While acknowledging significant factors supported the city’s decision – including the seriousness and repeated nature of the misconduct – Foy ultimately concluded termination was excessive.

The union had proposed a five-day suspension, but Foy rejected that as too lenient.

Instead, Pyne will effectively serve a lengthy unpaid suspension covering the period between his Dec. 5, 2025 firing and his Sept. 8 reinstatement.

Foy noted Pyne was the most senior member of the tree crew and that all members of the crew had been terminated for time theft.

“His time theft was excessive and spanned several days,” Foy said. “Instead, a significant lengthy suspension without compensation is appropriate to recognize the seriousness of Mr. Pyne’s conduct and the City’s need for a high level of trust.”

The arbitrator also denied the union’s request for damages over the use of the GPS and Strava information, finding Pyne’s privacy rights had not been breached.