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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Province to require codes of conduct for municipalities
The Selinger government will require municipalities to establish codes of conduct and allow councils to censure a member who has breached the code.
"Manitoba's municipalities make important decisions every day that impact the lives of their citizens," Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux said. "We know that municipalities take this responsibility seriously and strive to govern in an accountable and transparent manner."
Bill 23 would require all municipalities outside Winnipeg to put in place policies and practices aimed at strengthening the accountability of municipal councils and supporting transparent decision-making, the province said in a news release after the bill was introduced in the legislature on Wednesday.
This includes:
- following a code of conduct that would set standards of behaviour for municipal council members and exercising the authority to censure a member who has breached the code;
- providing notice and information to the public about capital projects prior to borrowing funds for projects so citizens would have information to enable them to voice their concerns before projects move forward;
- following a tendering and procurement policy to ensure spending decisions are objective and fair, and municipal resources are used in the most efficient and effective way;
- following a policy to ensure practices for the private use of municipal equipment are clear and consistently applied; and
- reporting on a council's response to any recommendations made in a report by the Office of the Auditor General so that citizens will be aware of the recommendations and be able to hold their councils accountable for responding to them.
Bill 23 would also expand existing legislation to reduce the potential for conflict-of-interest situations when municipalities work regionally.
Employees of regional municipal bodies would be required to take a leave of absence before they could be nominated or elected to council. As well, all municipal council members, including those in Winnipeg, would be required to disclose in their annual statement of assets and interests all properties they own in the province, not just property they own in the municipality. Council members' statements of assets and interests are available for review by the public.
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