TAMRMS#: B06
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Integrity Commissioner Annual Report
Presented by: David Leflar, Director, Legal & Legislative Services
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
recommendation
1. That the annual report of the Integrity Commissioner attached to the Administrative Report to Council dated November 4, 2019 entitled “Integrity Commissioner Annual Report” be received for information.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to present to Council in a public forum the annual report of the Integrity Commissioner, which also contains certain recommendations for compliance with and amendment of the Integrity Commissioner Bylaw and the Code of Conduct Bylaw.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
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ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
Sections 6(f) and (g) of the Integrity Commissioner Bylaw provide that the Integrity Commissioner is to:
(f) provide advice and recommendations to Council regarding amendments to the Code of Conduct and any other procedures, rules or policies governing Council Members’ ethical behavior;
(g) prepare and deliver an annual report to Council containing a summary of the Integrity Commissioner’s activities during the calendar year.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The attached report from the Integrity Commissioner contains its own background section also explaining the provincial and municipal legislative framework under which the Integrity Commissioner functions.
The report also contains several recommendations, one of which relates to compliance with the existing Code of Conduct Bylaw (i.e., the requirement for an annual Council self-evaluation) and the remainder of which constitute suggestions or recommendations for amendments to the Integrity Commissioner Bylaw and the Code of Conduct Bylaw.
The proposed Bylaw amendments are not time sensitive since there has not been any history of complaints against the ethical conduct of individual Council Members. Administration will come back to Council with responses to these recommendations at some point in 2020.
The recommendation concerning the annual Council self-evaluation is more time sensitive since it relates to compliance by Council as a whole with a provision of the Code of Conduct Bylaw. This also has some potential synergies with Council’s annual strategic planning initiatives that typically occur in January each year. Time could be allotted at the upcoming strategic planning session in January 2020 to conduct the self-evaluation described in the attached report, to comply with the requirements of the Code of Conduct Bylaw.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
If adopted the recommendations would ensure compliance with the Code of Conduct Bylaw and could strengthen both that Bylaw and the Integrity Commissioner Bylaw.
Report Date: November 4, 2019
Author(s): David Leflar
Committee/Department: Legal & Legislative Services
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble