Vancouver councillor wins code of conduct complaint against her, filed by the mayor
A Vancouver city councillor has won a code of conduct complaint, which was filed against her by the mayor.
OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle issued a statement Tuesday, saying she welcomed the finding by the city's integrity commissioner, who found Boyle did not breach the code of conduct by speaking publicly about how she voted when council decided to end its living wage policy, an issue which was discussed during an in-camera meeting.
The decision was made in January, and brought to light by Boyle in March.
In her report, integrity commissioner Lisa Southern wrote the aim of her investigation was to determine whether Boyle revealed information that was “treated as confidential” by the city. Ultimately, it was found that Boyle did not breach any code of conduct. The commissioner even noted that Boyle sought advice from the city’s own legal department before disclosing her vote.
“Before speaking about it publicly, I sought advice from many places about what exactly I was able to say,” Boyle told CTV News in an interview. “I did my due diligence and as the investigation indicated, I acted in good faith.”
The commissioner wrote that on March 15 she asked Mayor Ken Sim “if he would be open to informal resolution (of his complaint)," but he declined.
“There are many approaches that Mayor Sim could have taken that were less confrontational than this,” Boyle said. “It certainly had a chilling impact on me and what I felt comfortable saying on decisions where I have disagreed with the ruling majority ABC's votes.”
The mayor’s office declined an interview request by CTV News, instead issuing a statement.
“As a result of this investigation, integrity commissioner Southern has clarified that the City of Vancouver has been unclear and inconsistent regarding individual in-camera council voting disclosures,” the statement said, in part. “The Office of the Mayor looks forward to working with council to develop a clear policy around in-camera meetings to ensure clarity.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

opinion As Trump burns through cash, powerful Republicans are rallying behind a surging candidate
With less than 50 days until Republican voters begin the process of determining their nominee to take on President Joe Biden, political analyst Eric Ham writes about a storm brewing within the GOP -- as super-donors align behind a surging candidate who could pose a threat to frontrunner Donald Trump.
4 in custody after 'brutal' death of Quebec entrepreneur, partner in Dominica
Four people are in police custody after Quebec businessman Daniel Langlois and his partner Dominique Marchand were found dead in Dominica.
Speaker Fergus apologizes, faces calls to resign over 'personal' video played at Ontario Liberal event
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus apologized to MPs on Monday about a 'personal' video tribute message played this weekend at the Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention, but two opposition parties say that's not enough and are now calling for him to resign over his 'unacceptable' participation in a partisan event.
Escaped kangaroo found safe after 3 days on the loose in Ontario
A kangaroo that escaped the Oshawa Zoo during a one-night stay last week has been recaptured after more than three days on the loose.
CBC says it is cutting 600 jobs, some programming as it slashes budget
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and Radio-Canada will eliminate about 600 jobs and not fill an additional 200 vacancies. The cuts at CBC come days after the Liberal government suggested it may cap the amount of money CBC and Radio-Canada could get under a $100 million deal Ottawa recently signed with Google.
Driver arrested after nearly hitting pro-Palestinian demonstrator in Victoria
A driver was arrested in Victoria on Sunday after nearly hitting a protester with a car during a pro-Palestinian rally outside the B.C. legislature.
Short-term rentals have 'significantly impacted' housing affordability: Desjardins
A Desjardins report suggests short-term rentals likely contributed to the housing affordability crisis in Canada and around the world.
Canada's foreign interference commissioner unveils parties granted standing in inquiry
The Government of Canada as well as the Conservative and New Democratic parties are among the nearly two dozen entities granted standing to participate in the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions, Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue revealed Monday.
NDP calling on Liberals to establish special immigration measures to help Canadians with families in Gaza
The federal NDP is urging the Liberals to immediately create special immigration measures to allow the evacuation of extended family members of Canadians and permanent residents in Gaza.