The Government of BC introduced legislative amendments to the Community Charter, Vancouver Charter and Local Government Act that would require local governments to consider adopting or updating a Code of Conduct within 6 months after their first regular council or regional district board meeting. This proposed new requirement responds to a resolution (SR3) that was endorsed by the UBCM membership at the 2021 convention.
The amended legislation would also require a local government that chooses not to establish or review a Code of Conduct to make available to the public, on request, a statement respecting the reasons for its decision. Local governments that choose not to establish or review a code of conduct would also need to reconsider that decision before January 1 of the year of the next general local election.
The proposed changes come as part of Bill 26 (Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act) that also authorizes the dissolution of Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality and introduces changes aimed at streamlining local government development approval processes. This change responds to a long-established UBCM resolution opposing the concept of an unelected body making land use decisions for areas that have no population.
The Code of Conduct changes included in Bill 26 build upon an ongoing effort by the Government of BC, the Local Government Management Association and UBCM to support local government efforts to promote and uphold responsible conduct by elected officials. Earlier this year, the Working Group on Responsible Conduct released a best practice resource for local governments that provides guidance on ways to prevent conduct issues by local elected officials and options to address issues if they do arise.