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Code of Conduct and Ethics-IWC-4
EFFECTIVE:
October 23, 2018
AUTHORIZED BY:
Council
RESOLUTION:
18-25-39
REPLACES:
C-9, C-27, IWC-4(1997) (2013)
Purpose and Application
The residents of the City of Quesnel are entitled to have a fair, ethical and accountable municipal
Council that has earned the public's full confidence by acting with respect and integrity at all times.
The purpose of this Code is to establish guidelines for the ethical and interpersonal conduct of
Members of Council ("Members").
The public expects a responsive and informed local government with the highest standards of
professional conduct from Members elected to it. Honesty, integrity, respect, objectivity, due diligence
and accountability are some of the core ethical values reflected in this Code. Members are expected to
perform their functions of office faithfully and to the best of their knowledge and ability, in accordance
with these core ethical values.
This Code applies to all Members of City Council.
1.
Act in the Public Interest
Council shall act in the public interest by conducting its business with integrity, in a fair, honest,
respectful and open manner.
2.
Comply with the Laws
Members shall comply with all applicable federal, provincial, and municipal laws in the performance of
their public duties, including but not limited to: the Local Government Act, the Community Charter, the
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the Financial Disclosure Act, and all applicable
City bylaws and policies.
3.
Conduct of Members
The conduct of Members in the performance of their duties and responsibilities with the City must be
fair, open, respectful and honest. Members shall refrain from abusive conduct, personal charges or
verbal attacks upon the character or motives of other Members of Council, committees, the City staff
or the public.
4.
Respect for Process
Members shall perform their duties in accordance with the policies, procedures and meeting norms
established by Council to govern the deliberation of public policy issues, involvement of the public, and
implementation of policy decisions of the Council by City staff.
5.
Conduct of Meetings
Members shall prepare themselves for meetings, listen courteously and attentively to all discussions
before the body, and focus on the business at hand. Members shall not interrupt other speakers, make
personal comments not germane to the business of the body, or otherwise interfere with the orderly
conduct of a meeting.
6.
Decisions Based on Merit
Members shall base their decisions on the relevant merits and substance of the matter at hand,
including input received from City staff and the public.
7.
Sharing Substantive Information
Subject to paragraph 10, Members shall share with Council substantive information that is relevant to
a matter under consideration by the Council, which they may have received from sources outside of
the public decision-making process. If a member has a concern regarding whether the information
received should be shared, the member shall first consult with the City Manager.
8.
Conflict of Interest
Members shall familiarize themselves and act in accordance with the provisions set out in the conflict
of interest sections of the Community Charter. Annually, after filing their required disclosure statement,
each council member will meet with the City Manager to discuss any potential areas of conflict.
9.
Gifts
Members must not, directly or indirectly, accept a fee, gift or personal benefit that is connected with
the member's performance of their duties, except in accordance with the provisions of the Community
Charter.
10.
Confidential Information
Members shall respect the confidentiality of information concerning the property, personnel, legal
affairs, or other information of the City distributed for the purposes of, or considered in, a closed
Council meeting. Members shall neither disclose confidential information without proper
authorization, nor use such information to advance their own or anyone's personal, financial or other
private interests. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Members shall not disclose Council
resolutions or staff report contents from a closed meeting of Council unless and until a Council
decision has been made for the information to become public, and shall not disclose detail on
Council's closed meeting deliberations or how individual Members voted on a question in a closed
meeting.
11.
Use of Public Resources
Members shall not use City public resources such as staff time, equipment, supplies or facilities, for
private gain or personal purposes. Specifically, Members shall not undertake municipal election
campaign related activities at City Hall or on other premises owned by the City during regular working
hours, unless such activities are organized by the City (e.g. all-candidate information sessions).
Members shall not use City-owned equipment, technology or other property for municipal election
campaign work (e.g. photocopiers, computers, etc.).
12.
Advocacy
Members shall represent the official policies or positions of the City Council to the best of their ability
when designated as delegates for this purpose. When presenting their individual opinions and
positions, Members shall explicitly state they do not represent Council or the City, nor shall they allow
the inference that they do.
13.
Policy Role of Members
Members shall respect and adhere to the Council-City Manager structure of municipal government as
practiced in the City. In this structure, the Council determines the policies of the City with the advice,
information and analysis provided by the City staff and Council committees. Members therefore shall
not interfere with the administrative functions of the City or with the professional duties of City staff,
nor shall they impair the ability of staff to implement Council policy decisions.
14.
Positive Work Place Environment
Members shall treat other Members, the public and City staff with respect and shall be supportive of
the personal dignity, self-esteem and well-being of those with whom they come in contact with during
the course of their professional duties. Comments about City staff performance shall only be made to
the City Manager through private correspondence or conversation.
15.
Member Questions/Inquiries to City Staff
Member's requests for information from staff shall be directed to the City Manager. If the
response constitutes more than a technical clarification, then the response shall be provided to all
Members so that all Members have access to the same information.
16.
Implementation
As an expression of the standards of conduct for Members expected by the City, this Code is intended
to be self-enforcing. This Code therefore becomes most effective when Members are thoroughly
familiar with it and embrace its provisions. For this reason, this Code shall be provided as information
to candidates for Council. Members elected to Council shall be requested to sign a member
statement affirming they have read and understand this Code, and that they agree to conduct
themselves in accordance with it.
17.
Compliance and Enforcement
This Code expresses standards of ethical conduct expected for Members of Council. Members
themselves have the primary responsibility to ensure these ethical standards are understood and
met and that the public can continue to have full confidence in the integrity of the governance of the
City.
The City will not retaliate against Members or City staff who, in good faith, report a known or
suspected violation of this Code. No reprisals or threat of reprisals shall be made against such a
complainant, or against anyone for providing relevant information in connection with a suspected
violation of this Code. Members shall respect the integrity of this Code and the enforcement of it.
City Council may impose sanctions on Members whose conduct does not comply with this Code,
including but not limited to a motion of censure.
Specifically, before considering a sanction, Council must ensure that a member is provided with:
1.
a copy of a written report setting out the alleged breach of this Code, and possible sanctions
that may be considered against him or her;
2.
a minimum of two weeks, or the time between two consecutive meetings, whichever is greater,
to prepare a response against any allegations and possible sanctions; and an opportunity to
make representations and be heard by Council.
A violation of this Code shall not be considered a basis for challenging the validity of a Council
decision.
_______________________________
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Signature of Elected Official
Date