Following public concerns over his controversial Facebook posts, John Perks and the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce have parted ways, a day before he was supposed to start.

The Kamloops Chamber issued a brief news release Sunday afternoon saying Perks will not be employed, as had originally been announced on Thursday.

The 29-year-old from Oshawa was supposed to begin in his role on Monday.

Within hours of the announcement of Perks being hired, members of the public began calling out controversial activity on his social media channels, which included anti-abortion, anti-Muslim, anti-immigration and anti-Trudeau memes and posts, among other contentious topics. Perks defended himself while speaking on NL Newsday on Friday.

Chamber president Joshua Knaak had said Perks was offered the executive director job after a search that lasted months and included nearly 40 applicants, who he says applied from across Canada and internationally.

“The board will resume the review of the excellent pool of qualified candidates who have participated in the interview process but will not reopen applications at this time,” the Chamber said in today’s news release.

The opening of the Chamber’s top job comes after longtime executive director Deb McLelland stepped down on Dec. 31 to put more time into her own business endeavors.

McLelland had held the job for 15 years and spent nearly two decades with the Chamber.