After three Councillors were found to have broken ethics rules, Council now wants some legal clarification on the matter.
They’re responding to the two reports from their Integrity Commissioner which came forward in October.
Councillors voted last night to request Commissioner Brian Tario get an outside legal opinion on some parts of his reports. They want him to find out the specifics of how the Municipal Interest Act applies in cases of Councillors Brian Hamilton, Albert Aiello, and Brian McKinnon.
City staff say that under certain circumstances, going against the Municipal Interest Act could result in a Councillor losing their seat or being unable to run in the next election.
Councillor Mark Bentz wasn’t happy with Council’s decision, suggesting asking for clarification undermines the Comissioner’s decisions.
“I think we hired this Integrity Commissioner with the intent that he would have autonomy to make decisions. […] And it’s our right to question him, I just think we need to accept what he has said,” Bentz notes. City staff point out that the Integrity Commissioner is not required to obey Council’s request.
