Keeping Council Out of the Penalty Box

Keeping Council Out of the Penalty Box

Municipal council conduct has received heightened attention across the country and beyond in recent years.  In Canada, legislation has evolved to require a code of conduct or code of ethics bylaw for municipal councils in several provinces.

In the February 2019 presentation to SUMA delegates, SAGE president, Shari-Anne Doolaege draws on her municipal experience to help municipal officials to stay out of the ‘penalty box.’

Listen to the full 2019 Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) presentation: https://youtu.be/RpszVBsDWFY

Here are some of the presentation highlights:

• Council Interactions: Support strong and respectful conduct among council members.
• Council-Staff Interactions: Contribute to healthy workplaces, respect roles with the CAO as council’s one employee.
• Council-Public Interactions: Ensure that the public is respectful when engaging with council. Engage constituents when they contact you (elected officials).
• Is Government a Business? Government has a regulatory role with much broader responsibilities than transactions and generating a profit.  
• Model Respectful Debate:  SUMA volunteers championed diverse profiles in a meeting simulation where they tackled exciting and contentious agenda topics related to a raceway, hosting the Olympics and closing an airport.