CITY HALL – ‘Elected officials … should not have free access to staff areas’
Following is the statement issued Thursday, April 11, 2024 by City administration on the removal of access to “staff areas” by members of City council:
Our obligation as a corporation is to provide a safe workplace for all staff. To comply with our WorkSafe obligations and protect our staff, Administration has removed Mayor and Council’s direct access to all staff areas of all City facilities.
Mayor and Council will continue to have access to all areas required to perform their duties as elected officials, including Council Chambers, the Mayor’s office, and the Councillors’ office, as well as all public areas of City Hall.
Should the Mayor or a member of Council require access to a staff area in order to perform their official duties, such as a meeting room, they will be escorted by the applicable staff member while within staff areas following regular visitor procedures.
“Elected officials are not employees of the corporation and therefore should not have free access to staff areas,” said Jen Fretz, Civic Operations Director.
“The corporation is responsible for providing a safe workplace for all staff, ensuring privacy of corporate documents, and ensuring the safety of visitors to our facilities. These measures provide additional controls to help us meet these responsibilities.”
These temporary measures will remain in effect while we complete a security audit and are able to implement recommendations for permanent security improvements.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
This is something like an episode of “Yes Minister,” with the addition of contemporary “woke” sensibilities where anything that disquiets or disturbs is deemed a matter of “safety.” It is absurd on its face. Staff are right to want some boundaries, but at the end of the day, staff must answer to council, not the other way around. We the people make our will known through our representatives, who are answerable ultimately only to the law and to the voters (and, if necessary, the province of BC). Our elected representatives are the only ones through whom we the people can exercise our authority. We put them there to be in charge, for better or for worse. Staff are there to carry out the wishes of the city’s government.
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I for one applaud the move to restrict Councillors/Mayor from roaming the City Hall and other City facilities willy nilly. In fact, I don’t believe it goes far enough. It’s long overdue. The relationship between those who are elected and those hired to serve needs to very clear. A laissez faire attitude of coming and going as you please is not an good environment for good governing.
It’s one thing to get a telephone call from an elected person or their staff asking a general question something anyone could make and have them standing in your doorway. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling. As a staffer you know the protocol and this isn’t right. And yes, files do go missing.
I’m sure staff are relieved these measures are being taken.
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I could be mistaken on this, but is this simply a tantrum mentality acting out?
Kids might do something like not allowing others to play with certain toys or in the sandbox in response to not getting one’s own way.
Does anyone else see it in that light?
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How can administrators actually promote “ensuring privacy of corporate documents” as a valid reason to lock council out?
What “corporate documents” can’t our council see? If there is a small percentage of paperwork that validly needs to be kept secret from our elected representatives, corporate protocols exist to deal with it.
But if a handful of city administrators can tell a council ‘hands off’ and ‘no admittance’ on such flimsy grounds, then who can the taxpayer hold accountable at city hall?
Is it even legal for some unelected administrators summarily decide to hamper a council’s ability to direct and oversee city affairs? Especially when it’s part of council’s legal duty to hold those same city hall administrators accountable?
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Not long ago and prior to this mayor they also took away legitimate Facebook posts commenting. Anything that is not a high praise, kudos, a high five or a pat in the back is deemed “harassment” of some sort. The corporation for which the sole purpose of its existence is to make its providers happy and safe is failing at its core.
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Corporations are outrageous entities at best of times but this local one has now moved to the #1 spot IMO. Having the luxury of tapping into its financiers whenever required and when questioned swishing them away is unparalleled and frankly unacceptable.
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Our obligation as a corporation is to serve the taxpayers and voters. To comply with our democratic obligations and protect our taxpayers and voters, Administration has removed Administration’s direct access to all council areas of all City facilities.
Mayor and Council will continue to have access to all areas required to perform their duties as elected officials, including Council Chambers, the Mayor’s office, and the Councillors’ office, as well as all areas of City Hall. City Hall is not a kingdom. It is a public operation. It cannot function without the oversight of the elected council. We recognize that and promise to do better.
Should the Mayor or a member of Council require access to a staff area in order to perform their official duties, such as a meeting room, they will be allowed without question, because City Hall is not a kingdom.
“Administrative officials are not in control of the corporation and therefore should not have the power to dictate access to elected officials,” said Jen Fretz, Civic Operations Director.
“The corporation is responsible for fiduciary oversight of taxpayer funds, ensuring privacy of corporate documents, and ensuring the safety of citizens in the streets. We have failed miserably, and beg for forgiveness from the taxpayer. These measures provide additional recognitions to help us meet these responsibilities.”
These temporary measures will remain in effect while we complete a democracy audit and are able to implement recommendations for permanent democracy and open government improvements. All staff have had their pay permanently reduced by 50%, and taxpayers will receive a rebate for years of pool financial and city planning.
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Conversely, city staff should be banned from all council areas. You can’t argue that council should be restricted from entering staff areas without also restricting staff from council areas.
For the safety of staff, of course.
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