Integrity Commissioner Report Referral

Summary

• Council is asked to formally resolve to review its Code of Conduct By-law, as required by the Vancouver Charter within six months of the first post-election council meeting, and to receive the Integrity Commissioner's Annual Report (January–October 2022) as the basis for that review.
• The Annual Report, prepared by Integrity Commissioner Lisa Southern, contains nine recommendations to strengthen the Code of Conduct, including making ethics education mandatory for council members and advisory board members, allowing councillors up to $5,000/year for independent legal advice on conduct obligations, and expressly permitting mediation pauses during formal investigations.
• Other recommendations would clarify the Code's relationship to City employment policies, add a collaboration principle to the definition of "leadership in the public interest" (to align with a new provincial regulation), allow the Commissioner to advise on legal fee indemnification, and establish transitional provisions.
• Staff support all nine recommendations and are seeking Council's direction to draft amendments to both the Code of Conduct By-law and the Mayor and Councillor Expenses By-law for consideration at a future meeting.
• The provincial Principles for Codes of Conduct Regulation (June 2022) requires council to consider four principles — integrity, accountability, respect, and collaboration — when deciding whether to review the Code; staff note the current Code addresses most principles but lacks an explicit collaboration requirement, which Recommendation 5 would remedy.
• If Council chose not to review the Code of Conduct, it would be required to make a public statement explaining that decision.

Vote

Documents

• Report – Annual Report of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner and Review of the Code of Conduct By-law
• Memo