File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Curtis Goodrum

code of conduct

Kamloops councillor supports call for more provincial oversight of local council ethics

Mar 28, 2025 | 5:21 PM

KAMLOOPS – A letter has been sent to the provincial government from the Ombudsperson of British Columbia, asking the province to provide local governments with a code of conduct.

“We have, since 2022, been recommending to the provincial government that there be province-wide legislation providing for the oversight of municipal integrity schemes, standards of conduct, integrity officers and the like,” said Jay Chalke, the Ombudsperson of British Columbia.

The effects of a limited code of conduct are far-ranging and affect many local municipalities, including Kamloops.

“We are one of many communities that are struggling with governance. I think the provincial government is seeing the fallout from that and is, you know, currently working on some initiatives that will help improve municipalities and other levels of local government, too,” said Kamloops councillor Margot Middleton.

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The Kamloops council would like to have a provincial baseline in place to use municipally.

“We’re not looking for huge government overreach. You know, the term ‘recall’ gets used. I don’t know that we’re even looking for that. I think it is more that the government would be able to come in with some extended powers to be able to remove officials if the situation is warranted,” stated Middleton.

Chalke will keep pushing for the provincial government to put this into effect and to see local governments take more of a front seat in these conversations.

“At the end of the day, this is all about trust. It’s about the trust that individual citizens have in their local governments. Right now, we have a situation where across the province, we don’t have a province-wide scheme that is transparent, accountable and legally enforceable. I think that’s the way that we can trust our local governments,” said Chalke.

While the province hasn’t stated anything yet, there will be continued calls from the office of the Ombudsperson.