{"id":563361,"date":"2026-03-27T02:10:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T02:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/563361\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T02:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T02:10:11","slug":"calgary-city-councillors-skeptical-of-new-provincial-code-of-conduct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/563361\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary city councillors skeptical of new provincial code of conduct"},"content":{"rendered":"

The province has announced long-awaited code of conduct legislation for elected officials, but some Calgary councillors want to see it in action before they pass judgement.<\/p>\n

The Alberta government announced proposed changes to the Municipal Government Act (MGA) on March 26, introducing provincewide standards for councillor conduct, alongside a third-party system to investigate complaints and appeals.<\/p>\n

Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams said the changes are meant to restore trust in local government.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s designed to support professional, fair and transparent decision-making every Albertan expects,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

\u201cGreater clarity of expectation would ensure councillors across Alberta are held to the same standards, regardless of their municipal size.\u201d<\/p>\n

If passed, the legislation would establish the \u2018Councillor Accountability Framework\u2019, or a universal code of conduct. It would cover issues such as misuse of municipal assets, conflicts of interest and improper influence, among others. Complaints would be handled by independent investigators selected from a provincially appointed roster.<\/p>\n

The City\u2019s Code of Conduct for Elected Officials Bylaw was repealed in May of 2025, when the provincial government amended the MGA to eliminate municipal specific codes of conducts. Calgary city council has been operating without a code of conduct since then.<\/p>\n

Minister Williams said the province\u2019s decision was to prevent abuses of the system, which he said led to \u2018costly, inconsistent, drawn-out situations.\u2019<\/p>\n

But at Calgary city hall, the reaction from some councillors has been mixed.<\/p>\n

Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly said while a code of conduct is necessary, the province\u2019s approach raises questions considering last year\u2019s repeal.<\/p>\n

Coun. Kelly highlighted that transparency measures, like clearer disclosures and visibility into who councillors are meeting with, are long overdue. Still, he\u2019s cautious to praise the new framework until he sees how it benefits Calgary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t seen it yet, but the devil will definitely be in the details about if this is the kind of thing that delivers the kind of transparency that Calgarians deserve,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston struck a more pessimistic tone, questioning whether a provincially run system can truly hold elected officials accountable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was ran by citizens, I would be more inclined to think anything will come out of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if government\u2019s in charge of themselves, nothing\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He agreed that there should be a municipal code of conduct, but that meaningful enforcement will be key.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly if there\u2019s punishment for breaking the rules,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

\u201cThe same as if a regular person were to break it, whatever that punishment would be, is what we should get as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

New amendments could fix abuse of system<\/p>\n

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean is leaning more hopeful, as he said he was glad to see the city\u2019s code of conduct repealed last year. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve talked to several councillors, nobody\u2019s missing the old code of conduct rules that we had at city hall because they were abused,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took up a tremendous amount of time for councillors\u2019 offices, batting down useless and frivolous complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coun. McLean said his full opinion is \u2018to be determined\u2019, but is hopeful the province\u2019s framework will be better. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Williams acknowledged past concerns about the \u2018weaponization\u2019 of code of conduct complaints, saying the new framework is intended to prevent abuse while still allowing legitimate issues to be addressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure that there are guardrails on the code of conduct,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Those barriers extend beyond the accountability framework. Minister Williams spoke on additional amendments to the MGA that will strengthen transparency to the public. One would require municipalities to publicly disclose salaries of senior staff above a certain threshold, or a \u2018sunshine list\u2019. Another would mandate that CEO\u2019s report certain decisions to council in writing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese proposed changes are proactive steps to reinforce checks and balances in local government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo bring trust to the way they operate and make sure that we continue to have collaboration with oversight from the municipal government and our municipal partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

The legislation would come into force this May, but by design doesn\u2019t have set regulations yet. Williams said that is so he and Alberta Municipalities President, Dylan Bressey, can see how the legislation is implemented at the local level, and fine tune accordingly.<\/p>\n

While there is broad agreement on the need for clearer standards and accountability, the question remains whether a provincially designed system can strike the right balance between oversight and local autonomy.<\/p>\n

Coun. Kelly said, \u2018it\u2019s better late than never to do the right thing\u2019, but whether this is the right solution is still an open question.<\/p>\n

Liked it? Take a second to support Payton Delisle-Miller on Patreon!<\/p>\n

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