Vancouver mayor’s 2nd complaint against city councillor upheld: Integrity commissioner

After a complaint brought forward by Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, City Councillor Christine Boyle has been found to have breached a code of conduct bylaw.

According to a report by the Integrity Commissioner released on Oct. 3, Sim brought forward a complaint on Aug. 25 about comments Boyle made through email and on social media regarding a newly hired member of the mayor’s office.

The report states that in her comments, Boyle claims the newly hired Harrison Fleming supports anti-2SLGBTQ+ policies in education, denies climate change, and is under investigation by the RCMP.

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The commissioner states that Sim complained Boyle’s comments violated section 3.4(c) of the Code of Conduct, which states that a council member must ensure all comments are respectful and not defamatory to another person.

Sim requested that Boyle issue a public apology, pinned to the top of her X profile, and fully retract all statements made about Fleming, the report states.

On Sept. 8, Boyle made a public apology on X. Boyle also told the commissioner she apologized to Fleming directly and offered to meet with him.

In August I crossed a line with respect to how I communicated about one of the Mayor’s new staff members. I apologize for my comments. Please see my statement below. pic.twitter.com/wQLBNsSWsP

— Christine Boyle (@christineeboyle) September 8, 2023

In the report, the commissioner says she found Boyle did breach a section of the code of conduct, per Sim’s complaint, but due to Boyle’s public apology, no sanctions will be imposed.

This complaint was upheld only a week after Boyle won a different code of conduct complaint battle against Sim, in which the mayor complained about Boyle speaking openly about a vote on Vancouver’s Living Wage Policy.