For the third time in two months, a complaint against members of Dryden Council has been ruled on.
This time Norm Bush called on the Integrity Commissioner to investigate the actions of fellow councillors Mary Trist and Roger Valley over their actions in the Volunteer Firefighter dispute. Bushes complaint was filed several months ago and the Ruling was only just released.
Bush alleged that both breached Council code of Conduct, stating the two should have stepped away from any issue or vote related to the work stoppage.
He raised serious concerns about council impartiality and alleged that neither Valley or Trist would not be able to act impartially due to family connections.
The complaintent stated that Trist’s spouse was a member of the Dryden Firefighters Association, and her brother-in-law, Darren Trist, was a designated representative of the Association during the dispute.
As well Bush’s position was that Valley has family relationships with several members of the Association.
The Integrity Commissioner report ruled that the complaint had not been filed under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Guidelines but under the City’s Policy, so he was unable to make a finding regarding conflict of interest.
Further, Valley and Trist didn’t breach the actual City policy, however he determined the policy may not have been clear or specific enough, leading to potential grey areas regarding impartiality. The Commisioner noted ” …..because of personal interest the Respondents were not impartial. Ideally, they should not have taken part in decisions affecting the Dryden Fire Fighters’ Association”
He is calling on the City to change the wording of its policy.
Complete Report here: http://ckdr.net/sites/default/files/Dryden-Report-to-Council-File-2018-0…
