File photo (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

NEW POLICY

Kamloops Council adopts policy to prevent secret recordings

Nov 22, 2023 | 5:18 AM

KAMLOOPS — In an 8-1 vote, with only the Mayor in opposition, Kamloops City Council passed a new policy strictly prohibiting the recording of conversations of staff without all parties expressed consent.

The move came after council approved an investigation into Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s wife recording a phone call while he was driving for note taking purposes without the knowledge of CAO David Trawin.

The policy has three simple bullet points of prohibited actions for council members.

• Recording any conversation, be it in person or over the telephone or using video technology, with any city staff member at any location with any electronic or digital recording device, unless every participant in that conversation has provided express consent;

• Conducting any conversation, be it over the telephone or using video technology, with any city staff member while in the presence of any third party, unless every participant in that conversation has been made aware of all participants and each participant has provided express consent; and

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• Recording any conversation, be it in person or over the telephone or using video technology, with any person about municipal matters at any location with any electronic or digital recording device, unless every participant in that conversation has provided express consent.

The mayor voted against the motion feeling like it goes against the rule of law in Canada which allows for ‘one-party recording’ in which only one person on the call must be aware that it’s being recorded for it to be legal.