‘Public criticism does not mean abuse. It’s an indispensable and irreplaceable part of any decision making process,’ says the chair of city’s anti-racism advisory committee.
Mayor Mat Siscoe presides over the first city council meeting of the 2022-26 term in this file photo. The city’s first code of conduct for volunteer committee and task force members was recently adopted.
Members of St. Catharines volunteer committees and task forces will still be allowed to complain about city council like everyone else.
The city’s first code of conduct for committee and task force members was adopted by councillors, but not before a section limiting complaints was amended.
The proposed code as presented said committee and task force members shall not “humiliate, berate, belittle or publicly criticize staff or council.”
But council agreed after hearing from a committee chair that they should be open to public criticism — though not humiliated, berated or belittled.
“I think as publicly elected officials, the public has every right to publicly criticize us,” said Mayor Mat Siscoe, adding there is a difference between respectful and disrespectful criticism.
“We all are subject to disrespectful criticism — us putting it in a policy is not going to change that — but I think I can honestly say I have never been subject to disrespectful public criticism from a member of a committee or task force.
“I think we have been wise enough in our choices for those bodies that the people we choose, if they are critical, have been respectful about it.”
Council heard from Saleh Waziruddin, speaking on behalf of the city’s anti-racism advisory committee, which he chairs, who said “public criticism is in the public interest.”
He asked councillors not to lump the words “publicly criticize” with “humiliate,” “berate” and “belittle.”
“To any reasonable person, one of these four doesn’t belong with the others,” he said. “Public criticism does not mean abuse. It’s an indispensable and irreplaceable part of any decision-making process.”
Council removed the words “publicly criticize” after an amendment by Merritton Coun. Greg Miller and passed the code unanimously.
The section of the code prohibiting public criticism of city staff is staying put.
Miller said there are other channels for committee and task force members to go through to address concerns with staff.
The code of conduct is a first for St. Catharines, which did not have one specifically designed for committee and task force members before. Members have been following the city council’s code of conduct since the 2018-2022 term.
A staff report said having a code specifically for committee and task force members is beneficial because it’s tailored for the work and responsibilities they have.
While there is no legislative requirement for committee and task force members to have a code of conduct, the report said it’s becoming more common with cities like Burlington, Kitchener, Oakville and others adopting them.
St. Catharines’ code outlines members’ obligations and expectations around conflict of interest, communications, access to city information and property, behaviour during an election, the role of staff and the handling of complaints.
The code was reviewed by committee and task force members for feedback and their staff liaisons, along with the city’s integrity commissioner and the city’s leadership team.
When it comes to enforcement, any complaints about a member possibly breaching the code would be reviewed by the city clerk with the integrity commissioner to determine if an informal resolution is possible or if it needs further investigation by the integrity commissioner.
The city hasn’t received any formal complaints about committee or task force members’ behaviour in this term or the last term of council.