Vancouver mayor's 2nd conduct complaint against city councillor upheld

For the second time in as many weeks, the City of Vancouver's integrity commissioner has ruled on a code of conduct complaint filed by Mayor Ken Sim against Coun. Christine Boyle.

Unlike the first time – when commissioner Lisa Southern found Boyle had not violated the code of conduct by disclosing how she voted in an in-camera meeting – this one was resolved in Sim's favour. 

The complaint concerned an email Boyle sent and a post she shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, which Sim said denigrated Harrison Fleming, who had recently joined the mayor's staff.

The mayor's complaint alleged that Boyle "endorsed a tweet and wrote an email targeting a newly hired member (Harrison Fleming) of the mayor’s office accusing him directly of past bullying and implying that he has advanced and is complicit in anti-LGBTQ+ government policies, despite the staff member identifying as a gay man," as quoted in Southern's decision.

"Additionally, Councillor Boyle retweeted that he is personally under investigation by the RCMP in connection to a corruption scandal in Ontario."

Southern concluded much of what Boyle wrote about Fleming – specifically that he has previously worked for the governments of Ontario Premier Doug Ford and former Alberta premier Jason Kenney, as well as her negative opinions of those two men and their policies – was permissible speech for a city councillor under the code of conduct.

The integrity commissioner took issue with two specific allegations, however, finding they likely violated the code.

"By writing that Mr. Fleming was 'one of Jason Kenney’s top Internet bullies, harassing opponents of the government,' Coun. Boyle’s comments were disrespectful and arguably defamatory," Southern wrote.

In his complaint, Sim sought a public apology to Fleming and a retraction of Boyle's statements, as well as for Boyle to "pin" the retraction on her X profile.

Boyle took all of these actions before Southern's decision, writing in her response to the complaint that she had reflected on her comments and understood that some of them had crossed a line.

"Coun. Boyle has already implemented the remedial actions sought by Mayor Sim in this case. She has apologized publicly, pinned that apology to her social media post, and offered to apologize to the employee in person if they wish," Southern concluded in her decision.

"These are the remedies I would have made in this case. Given they have already been implemented by Coun. Boyle, on her own initiative, I do not recommend any sanction."