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6. Rule No. 16 has been added regarding transparency and openness in Council decision-making. This Rule is intended to balance democratic processes, corporate decision-making, and freedom of expression for Members of Council.
The Consequences of Bill 68:
As a result of the passing of Bill 68, considerable amendments have been made to the Municipal Act, the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, and the Municipal Election Act. Some of these amendments came into force on March 1st, 2019. Some of these amendments were anticipated in our 2017 Code Revision. However, further changes to the Code of Conduct and the Complaint Protocol may be required. The most extensive changes, in my view, concern the role of the Integrity Commissioner in Conflict of Interest issues. I am recommending that we examine our current Code and Complaint Protocol to ascertain whether further amendments are required to comply with the amended Provincial statues.
Schedule “B” to the Code of Conduct -- City of Windsor Council-Staff Protocol:
Based upon certain concerns that have been expressed to me over the past number of years, I believe it would be prudent to re-examine Schedule “B” to the Code of Conduct. Schedule “B” is the product of a merging of Schedules “A” and “B” in the previous Code. However, little attention was given to whether these provisions ought to be continued in the Revised Code. The objective of Schedule “B” is laudatory – it sets out the roles and responsibilities of Members of Council, both individually and as a whole, as well as City Staff. It also attempts to provide guidelines for the relationship between the Mayor and other Members of Council.
Some of these provisions seem anachronistic. For example, the Mayor is to “oversees the conduct of the subordinate officers in the government and administration and sees that all proven negligence, carelessness and violation of duty are dealt with”. This is clearly a throwback to a time when Windsor had not as yet developed the strong senior management structure and team that it currently has. Other provisions appear to be highly technical and