Kamloops code of conduct most used, most transparent in Thompson-Okanagan

Local politicians were left to their own devices when BC brought code of conduct rules into law three years ago and that lead to a patchwork of policies.

While many municipal councils have adopted their own rulebook, policies around transparency vary across the Thompson-Okanagan region.

Kamloops has seen its the code of conduct used more than any other city or regional district in the area, but it’s also the most transparent.

All the investigations are listed on the city’s website, and many of the resulting reports are available there, even some that were dismissed.

On the other hand, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s restrictive approach means even some board members don’t know about its one investigation so far.

Regional district spokesperson Colton Davies said the complaint was “relatively minor” and was resolved quickly, but policy barred him from commenting further.

“I can’t comment more directly about that investigation unfortunately, since the board as a whole has not been notified,” he said.

The policy makes no mention of whether the board should consider releasing investigations publicly at all.

It’s now looking to Kamloops as an example for transparency as the board considers changes to the bylaw on Oct. 3.

The spotlight for BC code of conduct bylaws has remained on Kamloops since the 2022 election. Controversial mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has been at the centre of most of its investigations and in some cases was found to have broken the code, privacy law and the Community Charter.

Amid consistent tensions at Kamloops city council, the province is looking to update the law. Kamloops taxpayers have so far foot the bill for thousands in investigation costs, but the province’s loose approach to codes of conduct also leaves local governments with a mix of different versions.

Some are keeping the public in the dark about allegations of bad behaviour made between local politicians.

In the Okanagan, Kelowna council has seen five code of conduct complaints escalate to investigations. Each were dismissed, but a heavily-redacted Freedom of Information request revealed nothing about who was investigated or who complained, and next to nothing about why.

At least one was likely related to councillor Ron Cannan and a controversial column he wrote for a local media outlet. He didn’t respond to a phone call from iNFOnews.ca for comment.

If a council member did break the rules, it would be released publicly, according to Kelowna’s code of conduct bylaw.

To the south, the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District has seen three complaints under its conduct bylaw summarized in a report on its website.

Though brief and anonymized, none of the complaints constituted a breach of the bylaw.

There haven’t been any investigations in West Kelowna or Penticton since the conduct rules were adopted. Both would require council to release investigation reports publicly within 30 days, along with any sanctions council might impose.

iNFOnews.ca did not receive a response from the North Okanagan Regional District nor the City of Vernon when reached for information on whether any investigations have occurred.

A formal policy could not be found on the North Okanagan Regional District website, while Vernon’s policy sets out no conditions to release investigations into elected officials publicly.