Whereas all local governments are required to decide on the implication of code of conduct within the first 6 months of a new term, which may include the designation of a local ethics commissioner officer; And whereas local governments may often lack the resources or expertise to develop local ethics commissioners role: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province to create a shared local government ethics commissioners offices to serve local governments in the efficient and effective implementation of Code of Conduct policies.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs The Ministry recognizes that how elected officials conduct themselves in their relationships with elected colleagues, staff and the public is directly connected to how a community is governed. Since 2016, the Ministry, the Union of BC Municipalities, and the Local Government Management Association have been working collaboratively through the Working Group on Responsible Conduct WGRC to research and develop new responsible conduct tools to support local governments. The code of conduct provisions introduced in 2021 requires councils and boards to consider establishing or updating a code of conduct within six months of their first regular meeting following a general local election. This new requirement builds upon and complements the existing responsible conduct framework to support local government elected officials in discussing and setting norms and consequences for conduct in their local governments. The deadline for boards and councils to consider a code of conduct following the 2022 general local elections was May 2023. The Ministry continues to collect and review data on the number of local governments who have adopted a code of conduct and the content and impact of those codes. However, it will take time to gain a full understanding of the impact this will have on the conduct of elected officials. Currently, local government legislation neither specifically authorizes nor prohibits the voluntary establishment of an integrity commissioner for individual local governments. Both the City of Surrey and the City of Vancouver have established their own integrity commissioners to operate independently for their local governments. The WGRC recognizes that embedding a culture of responsible conduct in the daily activities of local government elected officials is an incremental process, and further work and collaboration is required. Any future work related to independent third-party approaches e.g., integrity or ethics commissioners would involve working with our local government partners and include an evaluation of current responsible conduct tools. Changes in this policy area are complex and multi- faceted and require consideration of issues such as the role of council and boards, funding arrangements, and the impact on existing responsible conduct tools. The WGRC is developing a discussion paper that explores responsible conduct frameworks and integrity commissioner systems in different jurisdictions and identifies key considerations about integrity commissioners in the BC context. This paper can be used to inform future conversations with local governments about a path forward on this issue.