Minister for Municipal Affairs Nathan Cullen is proposing changes that would allow local B.C. governments to take action on elected leaders charged or convicted of criminal offences.
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April 08, 2022 - 3:37 PM
After calls from B.C. local governments for the province to give them more powers in dealing with elected leaders facing criminal charges, the Province is responding with proposed changes to the law.
The B.C. Ministry in charge of municipalities is suggesting changes that will allow local governments to put criminally charged officials on leave or disqualify them from office, according to a news release.
"Local governments have asked for changes to the legislation, and these amendments strike the right balance between fairness and good governance," Union of B.C. Municipalities president, Laurey-Anne Roodenberg, said in the release.
The local governments union voted in favour of the changes nearly four years ago at its 2018 convention in Whistler, according to Vancouver Island Free Daily.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs' proposed amendments would put any elected leader facing a criminal a charge on a mandatory paid leave until the charges are resolved.
Currently, an elected official even convicted of a criminal charge can still hold office until they are sentenced. Proposed changes would disqualify them after a conviction, even if their sentence has not been given by a judge yet.
Several elected officials in B.C. have faced criminal charges in recent years.
Former Merritt councillor, Mike Bhangu, is charged with uttering threats related to an incident at his home in June 2021. Although he resigned in December, Bhangu said it was because he lacked confidence in the City's mayor and her response to November flooding.
In 2017, a Pitt Meadows councillor was charged with sexual assault, but he continued to attend council meetings throughout the year-long court process, according to Maple Ridge News.
The B.C. municipalities union introduced its motion for the legislation changes in the wake of numerous other sexual assault charges against the mayor of Burns Lake, Luke Strimbold. Some of the incidents were alleged to have taken place while serving as mayor between 2011 and 2016, according to Global News.
The mayor of Surrey, Doug McCallum, is also facing a charge for public mischief related to a complaint of being run over by a vehicle in 2021.
"While our hope is that mandatory leave and disqualification will not need to be exercised, these amendments will help limit disruption, maintain public confidence and ensure local governments are able to remain focused on serving their communities," Minister of Municipal Affairs, Nathan Cullen, said in the release.
— With files from the Canadian Press.
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