Following an independent investigation stemming from a complaint received by City Council in March 2023, Councillor Kraymer Barnstable, by a vote of 5 to 2, was found in breach of City Council’s Code of Conduct Bylaw with two of six allegations founded when City Council accepted the findings in the investigator’s report.

The formal Code of Conduct complaint submitted by a member of the public made six allegations of breach of City Council’s Code of Conduct bylaw, specifically in the areas of:

  • Section 4: Representing the Municipality
  • Section 7: Adherence to Policies, Procedures and Bylaws
  • Section 8: Respectful Interactions with Council Members, Staff, the Public and Others
  • Section 9: Confidential Information
  • Section 11: Improper Use of Influence
  • Section 20: Compliance and Enforcement

With these allegations submitted, a review committee of three Council members initially reviewed the complaint and determined it should proceed to formal investigation. Council then directed the hiring of Veritas Solutions to investigate and report back to City Council. Veritas solutions is an independent third-party consultant who conducted interviews and thoroughly investigated this Code of Conduct complaint.

With the investigation complete, the findings conclude four of the six allegations were unfounded, and two were founded with Councillor Barnstable breaching seven sections in the City Council Code of Conduct Bylaw.

The six allegations put forward by the complainant and associated investigative findings include:

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“City Council’s Code of Conduct Bylaw is about ensuring good governance that is in the best interest of the organization and our community. It is about accountability and transparency. As elected officials we represent the views of our community, and through our Code of Conduct Bylaw, expectations are outlined for how we conduct ourselves as we carry out our duties and responsibilities,” said Mayor Ken Johnston.

Having accepted Councillor Barnstable contravened City Council’s Code of Conduct Bylaw, Council acknowledged the following:

  • Councillor Barnstable immediately and fully disclosed the breach of confidentiality to the Offices of the Mayor and City Manager (Allegation 3)
  • Councillor Barnstable issued a public apology for his conduct (Allegation 3 & 4)

City Council also imposed the following sanction as a result of the breach:

  • Councillor Barnstable will complete City Manager approved training in confidentiality, and diversity and inclusion with respect to the Alberta Human Rights Act by November 15, 2023.

As part of today’s meeting, City Council also passed a resolution directing administration to schedule training for all members of City Council within the next six months, specifically focused on diversity and inclusion with respect to the Alberta Human Rights Act as well as training related to confidentiality.

This news release is a high-level summary intended to outline key elements of the full report. The full Code of Conduct report prepared by Veritas Solutions will be released to the public after being reviewed for compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act.

Costs related to this Code of Conduct investigation are not yet fully known; however, upon public release of the full report, costs will also be disclosed to the public.