GOVERNANCE – Province wide code of conduct rules on the way for cities, RDs
(Image: Mel Rothenburger)
Province wide code of conduct rules for local governments are on the way. The Province announced today (April 2, 2026) it has introduced legislative amendments to allow for a mandatory code of conduct for local elected officials in B.C.
It applies both to city councils and regional district boards but not to school boards.
“Every community benefits from local leadership that is accountable and focused on priorities that matter to people,” said Christine Boyle, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs.
“When conduct issues escalate, they can sidetrack councils and regional district boards from their work and undermine public confidence. Establishing a mandatory code of conduct and a transparent process to address conduct issues will provide clarity and predictability for councils and boards across B.C., strengthening accountability and giving citizens greater confidence that their local representatives are acting responsibly and in the public interest.”
The provincial code will be designed to deal with conduct issues including bullying or harassment in meetings, harassment of staff or disrespectful behaviour between elected officials.
The current term of Kamloops City council has been marked by frequent disrespectful behaviour by council members, as well as allegations of bullying.
The council’s current code of conduct policy has led to complaints that have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to investigate. Today’s announcement said a province wide code will reduce legal costs, though it didn’t provide details of how that will happen.
A provincially mandatedcode has long been expected, with Union of B.C. Municipalities delegates having called for changes to responsible conduct rules on six occasions. The pending legislation comes after consultation with the UBCM and other stakeholders.
Possible sanctions resulting from code violations include a 90-day suspension without pay.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Kamloops has our very own Code of Conduct written entirely by admin and they along with council have used it as a weapon. Our present mayor sadly does not have the political acumen to understand this and he’s been bludgeoned by it. As a result his political career will soon come to an end as should its authors and councillors who’ve tormented him with it.
No Incumbents!
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One can read that Kristen Holliday has entitled her editorial to this subject as “Reid’s Law”. I hope that the Councillor who was interviewed for her article did not omit the secret taping by Councillor Sarai. Selective coverage seems to have been a strong point for Kristen when doing coverage for City matters.
Voters have their say in October.
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Kristen’s choice to concentrate her article on comments by Reid’s upcoming mayoral opponent, Mike O’Reilly, is questionable.
However, it’s Castanet’s editor (still Tim Petruk?–the Castanet website does not say) who is responsible for titling it, since headlines are created by the editor, not the journalist who wrote the story.
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Hopefully the new legislation will also require that alleged code of conduct violations be adjudicated by an independent investigator selected randomly by the province.
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I don’t think we would have seen any of the present councillors ask for RECALL legislation for municipal politicians. Had that been in place at the beginning of this term, we may have seen a bit different approach by “the gang”. In fact, some of them could have been out the door long before now.
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Kamloops Mayor and Council: The poster children for new legislation requiring basic human courtesy and decency. Aren’t we all proud?
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