The future of Vancouver’s integrity commissioner is up in the air as city council holds a special meeting on Tuesday which could lead to the suspension of all investigations.
This comes just days after Commissioner Lisa Southern released two reports spotlighting the rocky relationship between Mayor Ken Sim’s office and the Vancouver Park Board, which has led to integrity complaints from both sides.
The special meeting, set to start at 9 a.m. Tuesday, is a rarity for city council in August, as it considers bylaw changes that would allow the city to freeze the office of integrity commissioner and launch an independent review.
Council voted last month to do that, citing Southern’s annual report in which she said the scope of her office and its oversight over council are not always clear.
As that vote was made, Southern was in the midst of investigating two integrity complaints involving the mayor’s office and the park board — one from each side — including accusations of political interference and breach of trust.
Those reports were released last Friday, ultimately dismissing the complaints but highlighting the acrimonious relationship between the two sides as Sim and his ABC Vancouver-dominated council work to dissolve the Vancouver Park Board.
City council voted to hit pause on all misconduct investigations on July 24, with councillors voting to pause the commissioner’s investigations, meaning any complaints received will only be picked up after a third-party review of the scope of the commissioner’s office.
The integrity commissioner is an independent officer on a two-year term at the City of Vancouver. The office are tasked with investigating a number of complaints, including those submitted around city council, and also advise council regarding “ethical obligations and responsibilities.”
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–With files from Kier Junos