EDITORIAL – Councillors keep trying to legislate each other’s behaviour
(Image: CFJC Today)
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
THE TALE OF THE TAPE came to its conclusion yesterday as Kamloops City council approved a new policy prohibiting its members from recording conversations with staff unless they have permission .
It even prohibits recording conversations with members of the public about City matters unless the person gives permission. And, council members can’t have a conversation with staff while a third party is present, either — unless everybody involved knows about it.
The policy came about, of course, because Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s wife taped a phone conversation between him and CAO David Trawin while the Hamer-Jacksons were driving.
The mayor pointed out yesterday that the Criminal Code allows us to record conversations without the other person knowing. It’s known as the “one party consent” rule.
He also said it’s common for reporters to tape conversations with sources and not tell them. Maybe it’s become common but it shouldn’t be. A reporter should always tell the person on the other end of the line when an interview is being recorded. It’s a matter of courtesy — people often talk less formally when they think they aren’t being recorded.
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.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
It must be hard work trying to find something new to be offended over the Mayor about Every. Single. Day. But that is what seems to be happening…looks pretty desperate from here.
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Will our telephone calls to Community Services or civic operations now have a preliminary message saying that calls are NOT being recorded or shall the general public assume that no calls from the public will be recorded?
How about the “town hall” meetings? Will a document be supplied to anyone who attends the meeting(s) that NO recordings are to be made by any member(s) of the public unless that member announces his or her or their intentions of recording the meeting?
This could get cumbersome but given the fact that most of the folks who approved this policy also approved the wildcat walkout from the meeting at the Regional District on St. Patrick’s Day.
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What’s next, is the gang of eight going to enact a policy that the Mayor in its unique position of influence must wear a suite and tie when conducting city business including council meetings, that he must maintain a healthy weight for his age, that he carry and use hand sanitizer & a mask when meeting the public to prevent him from passing on any seasonal germs? What if they enacted a policy stating the “Mayor” can’t campaign for nonmembers of council during elections because of this unique position of influence? This is the 21st century, every phone has a recorder which is easy to use, the assumption should be that the call is being recorded just as emails and text messages, particularly during business calls. Maybe we should ask Bud Smith what he thinks about this policy?
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The pattern of nonsensical intrigue and subterfuge is coming from the councilors themselves, all 8 of them. That is warranted some repercussions.
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The councillors keep milking old news to discredit the mayor. This week’s just happens to be the tape recording, which was dealt with months ago and isn’t much to get excited about anyway. A week or so ago it was a leak of one of the topics of an upcoming closed meeting–council’s discussion of how they are going to punish the mayor regarding the outcome of a Code of Conduct “violation” discussed to death in the media this past summer. To alleviate some of the huge utility rate increases, maybe Kamloops could hold a weekly lottery in which people guess what the councillors are going to come up with next week.
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Are there cameras at City Hall? Does City Hall obtain permission from all parties for those recordings? Does this rule apply only to audio conversations? Does sign language count? What about transcription for those with impaired hearing? Any smart devices in City Hall that are always listening? Alexa the bully. Are the recordings at council meetings done with the express permission of all in attendance? No? It appears City Hall is “bullying” people then. (Edited)
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