Calgary to hire new integrity commissioner as current ex-judge prepares to step down
Calgary city council's integrity commissioner job will soon be up for grabs.
The part-time job involves holding city council to account by investigating any allegations of misconduct or wrong-doing, and pays a retainer fee of $2,000 per month, plus an hourly rate of $200 for services, as needed.
Allen Sulatycky, the current commissioner, was appointed by council in 2016 to serve a two-year term, which ends April 10.
The watchdog's appointment was a first for any city or town in Alberta.
Sulatycky told CBC News in a statement that he'll be turning 80 later this year and he does not want to continue in the position for another two years, but he's agreed to stay on as commissioner until a successor is named by city council.
He was elected as an MP in 1968, and served as a parliamentary secretary for two years. He was a judge on Alberta's Court of Queen's Bench from 1982 until 2004.
The integrity commissioner delivered his only public report on a complaint about a council member in July 2016, after he was asked to investigate comments Mayor Naheed Nenshi made regarding Uber.
Sulatycky's first report as commissioner, which covered April 2016 to April 2017, said that he received 17 complaints.
The only one that resulted in a report to council was the one regarding Nenshi's Uber comments, but two others were referred to the ethics adviser, who mediated their resolution.
Four of the complaints were made by councillors concerning the conduct of one of their coworkers, and four were made through the city's whistleblower program, which was set up so people could make anonymous complaints about city administration and operations.
His next report is due in June.
Sulatycky was appointed alongside ethics adviser Alice Woolley, who serves as associate dean with the University of Calgary's faculty of law. The ethics adviser guides council on questions about policies or ethical situations they may find themselves in.
Woolley told CBC News she's interested in serving two more years in her role, pending council approval.
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