Alberta is considering changes to its municipal code of conduct

Municipal codes of conduct have been a source of drama in Alberta lately, and now Premier Danielle Smith may be changing them.

Speaking at a news conference in Brooks on April 5, Smith expressed concern about how the code of conduct would be applied.

“I have to say that I'm concerned that it seems like the code of conduct is being used so often for one council member to pick a fight with another council member, and that's not necessary,” Smith said.

“It has to make sure that the person in their position is doing something in an ethical way.”

Municipalities must establish rules of conduct under the Provincial Municipal Government Act, which must apply equally to all councillors.

“I have asked our minister to make sure we look at the legislation to see if we need to provide better guidance, because this should not be used as a way to score political points from one councilor who really disagrees. different,” Smith said.

Alberta Municipalities President and Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gundam says municipalities are armed with codes of conduct and recall legislation.

“I think we need to take a hard look at how these codes of conduct are filled out, to make sure they're not just out of spite or because someone voted in favor of something,” he said.

Calgary Ward 13 councilor Dan McLean, who has been sanctioned twice under the city's code of conduct, agrees.

“Applying a code of ethics, reporting ethically, scoring political points, or your political enemies, this has happened and it's wrong,” he told reporters.

McLean was fined in 2022 for not wearing a face mask in a restaurant during the COVID-19 health restrictions. 2023 for being on the golf course during the council meeting.

The law has been at the center of some municipal politics in the province.

More than 100 code of conduct complaints have been lodged against three Chestermere councilors, prompting a municipal review.

The review found that Chestermere was being run in an “erratic and inappropriate” manner. Finally, municipal affairs fired Mayor Jeff Colvin, three council members and three city employees.

Medicine Hat has also seen its share of code of conduct drama.

Mayor Lynnsey Clark was removed from office after she was found to have violated the city's code of conduct by failing to treat the city's leader with courtesy, respect and dignity at a council meeting in August 2023.

As a result, his salary was cut in half, he was no longer an official representative of the council, and his duties as chairman were suspended.

He is also prohibited from entering the territory of the city administration and having direct contact with city employees. Any communication with the city manager should be via e-mail, and in-person meetings between the two should include a consultant.

Medicine Hat resident Kim Porter has started a petition calling for the sanctions against the mayor to be lifted. He told CityNews that many people in the city consider what happened to the mayor to be undemocratic.

“We voted Lynnsey Clark to be our full-time mayor. We did not vote for councilors to be mayors. We also feel that this kind of disagreement will hinder the chosen work of our city,” he said.

Porter wants the province to consider a possible inspection.

“It's a shame for our community,” he said.

“Things are broken, whether it's beyond our ability to fix them or not, they must be fixed.”

Ministry of Municipal Affairs spokeswoman Heather Jenkins said she expects municipal codes of conduct to be used effectively and will continue to monitor their application across the province.

“While the minister is not prepared to order a municipal inspection at this time, he will consider doing so if the city's constituents can satisfy the statutory requirements for applying for a municipal inspection or if the council requests an inspection,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the city takes its code of conduct very seriously.

“We have carefully reviewed our code of conduct. We have an ethics adviser, an integrity officer and we have a whole legal team,” he said.