Vancouver city council suspends work of integrity commissioner to launch third-party review

Vancouver city council has suspended the work of its integrity commissioner indefinitely as it launches a third-party review of her office’s role and mandate.

The decision at Wednesday’s council meeting means commissioner Lisa Southern will not be able to continue any investigations or publicly report on complaints.

The role of integrity commissioner was first established in 2021, as part of the city’s efforts to promote and enforce ethical standards outlined in its code of conduct bylaw.

The commissioner is required to submit an annual report that includes recommendations on how the city can improve its code of conduct.

In her most recent report, Southern wrote that “the scope of the integrity commissioner’s role in providing oversight of the conduct of council and advisory board members is not always clear.”

She advised amending the code of conduct in order to remedy this discrepancy, which ABC Coun. Brian Montague sought to address through a motion passed this week.

OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle and Green Coun. Adrian Carr voted against the motion, pointing to a lack of clarity around the review process and number of investigations being stalled.

Since the investigations are confidential, city staff and Southern aren’t able to share how many are in the works.

A total of nine have been publicly reported between June 2021 and February 2024.

“I don’t think we should be pausing ongoing investigations,” Boyle told council Wednesday, adding, “I hope that nothing is being swept under the rug here.”

Carr questioned how long it would take to hire an outside firm to establish terms of the third-party review, adding “there’s a lack of clarity around whether this is the right process.”

City staff have been directed to bring a list of potential third-party firms or individuals to review the mandate in September.

In the meantime, Southern will still be able to receive complaints, but she can’t pursue or publicly report them.

With files from CTV Vancouver’s Isabella Zavarise