Providing Accountable Government
The mandate of the Accountability and Transparency Committee is to review policies and practices pertaining to confidentiality, accountability and transparency issues as they relate to City Council. Among its responsibilities was the hiring of an Integrity Commissioner, establishing a complaint procedure and creating an updated Code of Ethical Conduct for Members of Council.
As one of the first municipalities in Ontario to appoint an Integrity Commissioner, and having one of the most progressive and comprehensive municipal Codes of Ethical Conduct of its kind in the country, Vaughan Council members recognize that as community leaders they are held to a higher standard and their conduct must reflect this.
For the most part, the Accountability and Transparency Committee has evolved into an operational committee focusing on full implementation now that its key goals have been accomplished. The Code of Ethical Conduct is in place and in use for Members of Council. The committee is now preparing a work plan for the next year.
March 26, 2010 Update |
Accountability is one of the core values of our Vaughan Vision 2020 strategic plan. The purpose of the Code of Conduct is to serve as a guide for the behaviour and actions expected of Members of Council. It shows the public that elected officials are seriously committed to being held accountable for their conduct. It also provides an opportunity for individuals – including city employees, members of the public, and Members of Council or local boards – to file a complaint if they witness behaviour or activity by a Council Member that appears to be in contravention of the Code.
However, the main focus of the Code is two-fold: to provide guidance to Members of Council in order to prevent unethical conduct, and secondly, to establish a
process to resolve concerns as soon as possible and in an informal way.
The Complaint Protocol suggests a variety of approaches for resolving concerns, including: advising the member that the behaviour or activity appears to contravene the Code of Conduct; encouraging the member to acknowledge and agree to stop the prohibited behaviour or activity and to avoid future occurrences of the prohibited behavior or activity; documenting the incidents including dates, times, locations, other persons present, and any other relevant information; and requesting the Integrity Commissioner to assist in informal discussion of the alleged complaint with the member in an attempt to resolve the issue.