File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER – What did the CSO arbitration cost Kamloops taxpayers?

Apr 10, 2024 | 5:55 AM

IT WAS GOOD NEWS when the City announced that all the problems have been ironed out with the Canadian Union of Public Employees over the switch from Bylaws to Community Service Officers.

“We can confirm that the entirety of the dispute and all differences have been resolved to the satisfaction of the City and the union,” stated a news release.

What about the satisfaction of taxpayers? Are they happy with what it cost them to “resolve all outstanding issues”?

Difficult to know since the costs are being kept under tight wraps with a non-disclosure agreement that binds the parties to “rules of strict confidentiality.”

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No reason is given for this and, in fact, no logical reason exists that I can think of. Speculation about the cost has ranged up to $5 million. Acting CAO Byron McCorkell says that’s way off the mark. The real cost, he says, is “a fraction of that.”

What does that mean? Does it mean it’s closer to $2 million, as some think? Lower? Somewhere in between?

Sorting out the problems with the transition from the old bylaws department to a new structure with some new duties to better deal with street issues has taken more than two years. The City and CUPE entered arbitration in March 2022. The City lost, appealed, and lost again.

An assortment of costs could be assigned to the process. There’s the arbitration itself, which doesn’t come free. There are legal fees for labour lawyers. There are severance packages for the bylaws employees who ended up without their jobs. And there’s staff time for City management.

Lawyers don’t like to disclose their fees for such things due to competitive reasons. Staff time may not even have been tabulated, though it should be. But someone in City Hall must know the bottom line, someone who could provide at least a general idea of total costs.

Those who foot the bill deserve to know.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.