The Alberta government plans to propose a universal code of conduct to govern the behaviour of  local municipal councils.

Last year, the UCP government repealed all local codes of conduct, saying they were being used by some councils as political weapons, silencing some voices.

Before that, municipalities were required by the provincial government to have codes of conduct enshrined in their bylaws. 

At a news conference on Thursday, Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams said the old system created “a patchwork of different rules” that sometimes were unclear or counterproductive. 

Williams said he believes the new system he wants to propose will create clear expectations and greater transparency, improving public trust.

The system he is proposing would see complaints be taken by an independent third party, selected by the municipality from a roster of provincial appointees. An appeal commissioner would also be appointed by the province. 

Williams clarified that municipalities would cover the cost of investigations, except for those initiated by the province.

The legislation the government wants to propose would see the province have the ability to initiate investigations and to accept or reject recommendations made by an appeal commissioner.

Dylan Bressey, president of Alberta Municipalities, said the organization has been waiting for codes of conduct to be reinstituted.

He said the proposed third-party investigators will relieve local administrators from the burden of conducting the challenging investigations themselves.

Council conflicts have been making headlines over the last few years, from an ousted mayor in Chestermere, to a rift in Medicine Hat’s city council.

Williams told reporters that he’s not sure if these events are growing more common, but he does think there’s been a breakdown in civility in politics. 

He said penalties would be similar to what existed before, such as reducing a councillor’s roles. He said only in the most extreme cases could a politician face possible removal from council, after being referred to the courts.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said he believes a strong universal code of conduct should have some teeth to it. He cited previous instances of misconduct being penalized by banning a councillor from committee meetings as insufficient. 

“So basically your penalty for doing something bad is we’re going to give you way less work to do,” Nenshi said.

Williams said the legislation he plans to propose does include serious consequences, but it is about striking a balance. 

“I’m not looking to be a policeman or come down with a hammer, that is not the role here,” he said. “This is about the right tool calibrated to the problem.”

The exact definitions for what will be in the regulation haven’t been written yet, but will be workshopped with municipal leaders, Williams noted.

Part of the suite of changes also includes requiring municipalities to publicly disclose staff salaries over a certain threshold. Williams dubbed it a municipal “sunshine list.”

Williams said the legislation will be tabled in the coming weeks and regulation should come into force by the end of the year.