City’s integrity commissioner to gain power to start investigations

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The town’s integrity commissioner might quickly have the ability to provoke their very own investigations, even with out a grievance, underneath proposed bylaw adjustments accredited at a committee assembly Tuesday.

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Ethics adviser Emily Laidlaw and integrity commissioner Ellen-Anne O’Donnell appeared earlier than metropolis council’s government committee to go over their proposed adjustments to the bylaw.

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The bylaw is revisited each few years to deal with any concern that council or the ethics workplace may even see with the bylaw, and these adjustments got here as a part of a kind of periodic updates.

Councillors to be required to cooperate with investigations

Lots of the adjustments are supposed to make clear facets of the bylaw, such because the expectation of anonymity the place potential, though a couple of substantive adjustments have additionally been proposed.

Another substantial change is wording requiring councillors cooperate with investigations. Failure to cooperate or protect proof can be seen as obstruction and can be thought of a violation of the bylaw.

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Coun. Andre Chabot requested for readability on this modification. He needed to know if it might be grounds for dismissal.

Laidlaw mentioned the Municipal Authorities Act would supersede the council code of conduct, and dismissal from council for that motive wouldn’t be allowed underneath the MGA.

Integrity commissioner to have the ability to conduct ‘substantial’ investigations

One other main proposed change is that the integrity commissioner will be capable of conduct investigations they deem to be substantial, even when the unique complainant is withdrawn.

Laidlaw mentioned these commissioner-driven investigations might be began by the commissioner on their very own, or might come about because of a withdrawn grievance.

“(We’re) making clear that complaints can usually be withdrawn by the complainant, (however) on the discretion of the integrity commissioner, there could be circumstances the place an investigation can proceed with out additional participation of the complainant,” mentioned Laidlaw.

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O’Donnell mentioned she had seen complaints of a severe nature withdrawn over issues about confidentiality. She mentioned this was an space that was problematic for her and for town’s whistleblower program.

“They need to stay nameless,” mentioned O’Donnell. “But when I’m supplied with paperwork, for instance, that present a severe matter that must be thought of, in the event that they withdraw their grievance — which updated all of them have — then it ought to proceed doubtlessly.”

Mayor Jyoti Gondek mentioned this modification was about giving the integrity commissioner the flexibility to do their job.

“I feel when you could have an integrity commissioner, and let’s give attention to the phrase integrity, they usually consider that there was a breach, it’s vital for them to have the latitude to do an investigation,” she mentioned.

The committee voted to approve the adjustments. The amendments will nonetheless should be accredited by council at a future assembly.

brthomas@postmedia.com
Twitter: @brodie_thomas