Surrey mayor withdraws controversial ethics motion

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum is withdrawing a controversial motion that would halt complaints to the city’s ethics commissioner from Monday’s meeting agenda.

McCallum, in a statement, said he will instead be asking for a report to council in the future on “how to ensure the Office of the Ethics Commissioner is not used for partisan purposes during the election period.”

The original motion sought to suspend new complaints and investigations until after the 2022 election, but would allow existing complaints to proceed.

Read more: Complaints to Surrey’s ethics commissioner may be halted until next mayor, council elected

The original agenda item sparked backlash from councillors who said it undermined citizens’ ability to hold elected officials accountable.

Coun. Linda said the motion showed “incredible disrespect for Surrey residents and any kind of transparency at city hall.”

“How can our ethics commissioner and the independent investigation process be taken seriously if it can be stopped by politicians who are often the subject of a complaint, it’s ridiculous,” she said in a statement.

“The sad part is that no one is really surprised by this damaging and incredibly backward idea. After being ignored for three years, our residents have come to expect this sort of behaviour at city hall. So no one is really shocked that it came up behind closed doors.”

“…Hiding from the ethics commissioner for the next nine months is no way to instill confidence in our community and its voters,” she added.

Previously, Councillor Brenda Locke, who plans to run for mayor in the upcoming municipal vote, said the motion appears to have been brought forward by McCallum.

“I think it’s pretty clear, if you look at it, that the citizens are being denied their ability to complain about the ethical behaviour of Council,” she said. “To deny the residents that that access is just appalling. This is a vital function for democracy in our city.”

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This is not the only controversial motion that has come before council in Surrey over the last year. Last September, a move from council effectively banned several members of the public from speaking at public hearings. At the time, McCallum and his slate said it was necessary to “protect council and city staff ” from people who had been “disruptive” and “hostile.”

The ban was eventually rescinded in December after backlash from the community and after opposing councillors slammed it as undemocratic.

McCallum is also facing a charge of public mischief related to an incident with RCMP supporters in a grocery store parking lot last year. At the time, the mayor claimed his foot was run over during a confrontation with opponents of the city’s police transition.

The ethics commissioner’s two-year term began in July 2020. The role of the commissioner is two-fold: First, to investigate violations of the Code of Conduct by mayor and council, and second, to advise mayor and council on their “ethical obligations.”

As of Jan. 13, 2022, the office had received 48 complaints, with 10 still being processed. Should the motion pass, these investigations will still move forward.

In his first annual report, published in August of 2021, Commissioner Reece Harding noted a “significant” number of complaints. Many, he said, did not arrant investigation and were dismissed summarily. He said the “newness” of the office, which is a first-of-its-kind for a B.C., led to a number of complaints submitted that the office does not have any jurisdiction to investigate — including vague allegations of “unethical behaviour” and complaints about city employees and not elected officials.

But he also said the high number of complaints likely reflected the polarized state of civic politics in Surrey.

“At this time, the City of Surrey and its elected officials are engaged in some truly generational public issues. These issues have sparked significant debate within the community and Council chamber. This is democracy at work and it must be respected.”

However, he noted his office is independent, and non-partisan.