HALDIMAND—Haldimand’s codes of conduct related to staff, council, and the public were given a significant overhaul recently.
“These three policies are meant to be seen as an umbrella policy, governing our ways of work, and setting the tone for respectful conduct,” said Corporate and Social Services Manager Megan Jamieson during a presentation to Council on the updates.
Below is a breakdown of each of the three new policies.
Employee Code of Conduct
Jamieson described the policy as a framework to guide ethical and professional decision making: “The draft code sets out shared values and competencies of employees towards the public.”
Chief among those values are:
- Impartiality – avoiding conflict of interest, fair employment (no nepotism), mindful outside activities
- Trust and Integrity – respecting confidentiality, proper use of property/assets
- Professionalism – treating others with dignity and respect, ensuring fit for duty, aligning off duty conduct, dressing appropriately
- Political acumen – positive media relationships, honouring duty of loyalty, responsible political activity
“Ultimately the policy can be applied by asking oneself a few simple questions to help guide their decision making – am I putting my own interests before Haldimand County’s? Would I make the same decision if my manager, the public, or the media were watching me? Will I feel obligated to somebody if I do this? Would I be offered this if I weren’t a Haldimand County employee? Is my treatment of others the way I want to be treated?” said Jamieson.
The employee code is primarily focused on accountability to the public, with Jamieson noting a key component that “anyone can bring forward a concern about a Haldimand County representative’s conduct, so long as they’re doing so in good faith.”
Adjacent to the new policy, Haldimand has launched a new complaint protocol, which can be found on their newly updated website at haldimandcounty.ca.
Council Code of Conduct
Jamieson noted that Council’s main set of responsibilities remain unchanged in the new policy. Those include not using office for personal gain, guidelines on accepting gifts, benefits, and use of County property. It sets expectations for disclosing or misusing confidential information, addresses decorum both in and out of meetings, and touches on respect for the political process, for other councillors, and for decisions made.
“This means communicating accurately and not disparaging others, even when there is a disagreement,” said Jamieson.
She noted that in addition to Council, the code applies to Council-appointed committees and advisory board members as well.
“The scope also extends beyond these council chambers. Council is reminded that the expectation is across all channels, including social media. The County does have a social media policy that helps guide behaviour that would help Council members stay within this code,” said Jamieson.
Additionally, the new code streamlines the complaints process, introducing a new option for individuals to speak directly to a councillor regarding their concerns.
“This can be done directly through them, or through the clerk, or the integrity commissioner. It allows them to have a discussion before a complaint is actually filed. It may eliminate the need for a complaint or an investigation altogether,” explained Jamieson. “We’ve also removed the need for the complainant to sign an affidavit, which was deemed unnecessary.”
Haldimand is one of a dwindling number of Ontario municipalities to still charge a $200 application fee to file a formal complaint. In a letter to Haldimand, Ontario’s Ombudsman encouraged the abolishment of that fee.
“My office has publicly denounced this practice, as it penalizes complainants for exercising their statutory rights, and may prevent legitimate complaints from being brought forward due to concerns about financial cost,” read the letter.
Mayor Bentley questioned County Clerk Chad Curtis about how many municipalities in Ontario still charge the fee.
“I can’t give a specific number; I know it’s dwindling with every year. I know I looked at some figures from about three years ago and they said that about 75% do not require a fee,” replied Curtis.
Bentley floated the idea of eliminating the fee altogether. Councillor John Metcalfe asked about the costs of complaints for the County, and Curtis said that he could provide a full breakdown of the commissioner’s expenses when they submit their next report, with Bentley suggesting that Council consider abolishing the fee at that time.
Respectful Conduct Policy
The updated public policy is meant to “promote the safe use of space for customers, staff, council, and visitors” by clearly defining actions deemed unacceptable, “being those that cause a disproportionate or unreasonable impact on other customers, users, staff, volunteers, etc.,” said Jamieson.
“We understand that not every negative interaction constitutes unacceptable behaviour. People are allowed to be upset, they’re allowed to be angry by information they may not wish to receive, but behaviours that compromise the health and safety of another individual, are serious or illegal in nature, or where there’s a pattern of inappropriate behaviour, that’s where further action may be required,” she elaborated.
She cited aggressive or intimidating behaviour or acts of violence, as well as patterns of vexatious or frivolous requests that are “really just meant to cause disruption.”
The policy is designed to recognize that when dealing with poor conduct from a member of the public, each situation will be different, requiring flexibility in terms of how to respond, as well as creating consistent expectations and communication across all County-owned facilities.
“That’s really what has been missing in the past versions of this policy,” said Jamieson.
She added, “The goal is never to remove service altogether. There absolutely is a fundamental need to balance the role of serving the public with promoting safe and effective interactions. This could mean for example providing service in slightly different ways, or through an alternate employee when the behaviour is there that warrants it.”
The issuance of a trespass notice is the County’s last resort, but Jamieson cautioned that even when issued, the goal should be to restrict access to the County “as little as possible.”
For example, “limiting a user from an arena after inappropriate conduct at a hockey game is a very different service restriction than removing access to all public facilities. The policy and the way it’s written out is too restrictive to be practical,” said Jamieson.
She said the public-facing code will ensure that expectations are clear to the public and the process has been established and communicated.
“We want to be as transparent as possible, so if we are in a situation, we can demonstrate that we are treating everyone as equally as we can, given the circumstances,” she said.
Council discussion on the updated codes was limited, with Councillor Rob Shirton noting, “It’s very timely with what’s been going on here for the last few months or maybe few years. It’s good to get this updated.”
Council unanimously approved the implementation of all three updated codes of conduct. To view them in full, visit the County’s website and click on the November 19 Council agenda under the ‘Council Meetings’ tab on the main page.
