On May 9, 2023, all nine members of Council unanimously adopted the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023. Through this process, each member of Council agreed to abide by the bylaw in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities as elected officials.
The fundamental principles that support this Bylaw are as follows:
- Council Members shall serve and be seen to serve their constituents in a conscientious and diligent manner;
- Members shall be committed to performing their duties and functions with integrity and shall avoid improper use or influence of their office, and conflicts of interest;
- Members are expected to perform their duties in office and arrange their private affairs in a manner that promotes public confidence and will bear close public scrutiny; and
- Members shall seek to serve the public interest by upholding both the letter and spirit of the laws of the Federal Parliament and British Columbia Legislature, and the laws and policies adopted by Council.
On August 29, 2023, Council adopted an amendment to the Code of Conduct Bylaw that restricts members of the public from making Code of Conduct complaints.
What is a Code of Conduct?
A code of conduct is a written document that sets shared expectations for conduct or behaviour. A local government council or board can adopt a code of conduct to establish shared expectations for how members should conduct themselves while carrying out their responsibilities and in their work as a collective decision-making body.
Responsible conduct of elected officials is not optional; it is essential to good governance. Responsible conduct refers to how government elected officials conduct themselves with their elected colleagues, with staff, and with the public. It is grounded in conducting oneself according to principles such as integrity, accountability, respect, and leadership and collaboration.
A code of conduct is one tool that can be used by a local government council or board to promote or further responsible conduct.
Source: MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT: GETTING STARTED ON A CODE OF CONDUCT FOR YOUR COUNCIL/BOARD, Produced by the Working Group on Responsible Conduct; a joint initiative of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, and the Local Government Management Association (LGMA).
When a member of Council fails to uphold these principles and breaches the Council Code of Conduct, the Complaint and Resolution Procedures outlined in Part 4 of the Bylaw is used to address the situation.
