Timmins city council is taking steps to implement a Legislation that promotes accountability and transparency in the public sector. City Clerk Steph Palmateer is outlining three recommendations for council to be more open about their processes.
One recommendation is to implement a formal complaint tracking system for citizen complaints. The second is to adopt a code of conduct for Councillors, and the third recommendation is to hire an accountability officer.
Palmateer says that would be an arms length integrity officer that council would be able to turn to before doing something, to see where they stand before they do it. Palmateer says that could be someone shared with other communities, or a dedicated officer for Timmins that is on a retainer and consulted on a case-by-case basis.
Palmateer says Bill 8 gives the city the ability and the flexibility to implement it how they feel best. That’s instead of passing a piece of provincial Legislation that applies broadstrokes across the province. He says that’s why the city has some options and is able to choose the method they feel is best.
Council is now going to review all their options, get a more in-depth report, and go from there. Bill 8 passed in 2014, and has been gradually implemented in cities across the province.