An investigation stemming from a code of conduct complaint received by city council on May 7, 2021, has closed, and a majority of council did not accept the investigation report at Thursday’s council meeting.
This means the details of the complaint, including the identity of the council member who’s been accused of breaking the Council Code of Conduct will remain confidential under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).
“City Council’s Code of Conduct bylaw is a set of expectations for council member’s conduct and behaviour. This is the second of two Code of Conduct complaints that were investigated in 2021,” said Deputy Mayor Lawrence Lee in a city news release Friday.
After a review committee of three council members initially reviewed the complaint, there was a majority vote to proceed to formal investigation. An investigator was hired to investigate and report back to city council, and council had three meetings on this issue.
Council passed a second resolution directing the confidential report be shared with the city manager to prepare a confidential memorandum outlining “lessons learned” to be brought back to council in the first quarter of 2022. The memorandum should make recommendations on the integration and relationships of the mayor and council’s office with administration, the city said Friday. Through the city manager, the staff and council will work together to move forward.
All municipalities in Alberta are required by the Municipal Government Act (MGA) to have a Code of Conduct Bylaw that sets shared expectations for conduct or behaviour. The bylaw outlines how members should conduct themselves while carrying out their responsibilities and establishes a review and investigation process when a complaint is received.
For more information about City Council’s Code of Conduct Bylaw, visit www.reddeer.ca.