BATTLEFORD- Battleford town council is reviewing an ethics/code of conduct complaint it received.
For Saskatchewan, a municipal council is required to adopt a code of ethics for all their council members. The code of ethics bylaw defines the standards and values council expects members to comply with in their dealings with each other, employees of the municipality, and the public.
The town is not permitted to disclose the individual filing the code of conduct violation complaint or the details of the alleged violation due to privacy reasons.
Mayor Ames Leslie said he received the formal complaint under the Municipalities Act in June.
As part of the process, the matter goes to town administration who look into whether or not the complaint meets the criteria of a violation of the code of ethics.
"At this time, the alleged violation met the criteria of the proposed code of ethics that the Town of Battleford and the council has approved," Leslie said. "Therefore, it activates an investigation."
Council, excluding the member of council who has a complaint against them, meet and discuss if they wish to appoint themselves as the investigator or council can appoint a third party to investigate the complaint.
In this case, council agreed to appoint Angela Kruk, of the law firm Gates and Company in Regina, to conduct the investigation.
"In this particular case, council felt that the best action for it would be to appoint a third party investigator to look into this matter," the mayor said. "Tonight, council had received, acknowledged and accepted administration's ask to appoint a third party. At this point, administration has sent a Schedule B, which is just a form advising the people filing the complaint that it has been received and meets the criteria of an investigation. The third party, now it's in their hands. When she [the investigator] is done her investigation, she will give a recommendation to council as to how she feels."
The third party investigator could find for example that no disciplinary action is needed, or a written apology would resolve the issue, or possibly a suspension would be advised.
Then, council would have the option to accept or deny any of the investigator's recommendations, and determine the best way to resolve the issue.
While town council's next election is coming up in the fall, the mayor does not foresee that becoming an issue in the investigation process.
The mayor notes the investigator needs to complete her work within a certain time period once she has been appointed.
"She will reach out to both parties - the complainant and the complainee. Then, come back with a determination," Leslie said. "The Cities Act says you can't conduct an investigation within six months of an election, but the Municipalities Act does not have that [clause] within in. We're hoping just for the sake of process, it is done here within the next 30 or 45 days, but extensions can be granted from the Municipalities Act for an investigator if it's needed."
The ethics code is one that town council members must abide with in their work.
"Council governs itself," the mayor said. "That's the bizarre fact of an elected official, they govern themselves. When you are elected you agree to the code of ethics that the provincial government's government relations and subsequently the council of that municipality accepts. Within there, there are sub-classes of respect and honour [etc.]. So, this one was brought forth. Hopefully, we'll hear the results shortly, and council will make a determination as to what the best course of action is."
