City council voted Monday evening to invite acting Integrity Commissioner George Valin to discuss his recommendations for strengthening its Code of Conduct guidelines.
But the main contents of the report, which looked into conflict of interest allegations against former Invest North Bay chair George Burton and Mayor Al McDonald will be off-limits.
Burton and McDonald were cleared of using influence in awarding a million-dollar contract to local marketing company TWG. But the wording of the Code of Conduct guidelines is something Valin recommended be tightened.
"With respect to my investigation of the complaint, I have found that there has been no breach of the Code of Conduct. However, I do have some recommendations for consideration of Council arising from my investigation," Valin wrote. "Council may have some interest in amending the Code of Conduct to include a rule requiring members to avoid conflicts of interest outside of the scope and application of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act."
At Monday's council meeting Councillor Mark King moved an amendment to a motion that's Valin's report be noted and filed. Seconded by Councillor Scott Robertson, the amendment asked that Valin be invited to a city council meeting in the new year to discuss his recommendations set out in his report.
"I think it would be wise on the part of council to listen to the Honourable George Valin. He's a judge, well respected here in the City of North Bay, and I think those recommendations are timely."
Councillor Mac Bain wanted to make sure only the recommendations would be discussed.
"I just wanted to clarify that it's the recommendations to the changing of our procedural bylaw, not going over the entire report. It's just the recommendations about agencies, boards, and commissions and the recommendations about our procedural bylaw, not going through the whole report. Is that correct?" Bain asked King.
"You're absolutely right," King replied. "There were four or five recommendations in this report at the end. It wasn't the intention to any way open up all the other items that were inside that report. It was obvious that he ruled in a certain way and I think his ruling was correct so I would leave it at that."
There was no further discussion of the motion.
Co-author of the complaint, Kevin Ferris told BayToday, "I’m glad to see that councillors King and Robertson put the amendment forward and look forward to Justice Valin's presentation."
Valin is expected to make his appearance sometime early in the new year.
