Saskatoon integrity commissioner wants expanded powers to investigate conduct during council meetings

The city’s integrity commissioner is asking city council to consider expanding the powers of her office to include jurisdiction over the behaviour of councillors during meetings.

Commissioner Angela Kruk says that, though the city’s 2019 code of conduct for its elected representatives applies at all times, politicians’ conduct during council and committee meetings is out of her jurisdiction.

“Absent specific authority from council, it is my opinion that it is outside the jurisdiction of the integrity commissioner to investigate complaints related to the conduct of a member of council during a council or committee meeting,” Kruk writes in her 2022 annual report.

Kruk says there are two main reasons for the request. There’s currently no mechanism to deal with the conduct of a member of council after a meeting’s over, she says.

Although the speaker can deal with a situation of misconduct in the meeting, Kruk says there should be a process to hold councillors accountable after the meeting is over.

No formal complaints were received about any councillors in 2022, according to the report. There were two inquiries about the conduct of one council member, relating to different incidents, but they were never turned into formal complaints.

In 2021, the integrity commissioner was asked to investigate Ward 1 councillor Darren Hill following three code of conduct complaints, including disclosing confidential information, disparaging a city parking enforcement officer and damaging carpets, countertops and furniture in a shared meeting room.

Hill was asked to pay $2,500, attend respectful workplace training and also received a letter of reprimand as a result of the investigations.

The city will receive the annual report from the integrity commissioner at its governance and priorities meeting on Wednesday.