New tools address elected officials charged with criminal offences (flickr.com)

Media Contacts

Alanah Connie

Media Relations
Ministry of Municipal Affairs
250 880-4935

Backgrounders

Legislation amendments for local governments

The new amendments, which will better support local governments, will revise nine pieces of legislation. 

Disqualification of elected officials:

  • The Local Government Act, the Community Charter, the Vancouver Charter, the Islands Trust Act and the Cultus Lake Park Act will be amended to require local elected officials who are charged with a criminal offence to take a leave from the date of the charge until the criminal process is complete or the charges are resolved.
  • The legislation will also be amended to change the existing disqualification rules to ensure that a local elected official is disqualified at the time of conviction for an indictable offence rather than at the time of sentencing.

Auditor General for Local Government Act repeal:

  • The Community Charter, Vancouver Charter, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Public Service Labour Relations Act will be amended to remove reference to the Auditor General for Local Government Office and legislation.
  • The repeal of the Auditor General for Local Government Act reflects the closure of the Auditor General for Local Government Office.

Electronic meetings for local government bodies:

  • Proposed amendments to the Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act (No. 4) will clarify the authority for local government body meetings, such as advisory committees, to be held electronically.
  • The amendments include transparency requirements to ensure that the public can hear, or watch and hear, meetings held electronically

Correction of consequential amendments to the Agricultural Land Commission Act:

  • Minor amendments to the Agricultural Land Commission Act will clarify an approving officer’s statutory discretion to permit subdivision of land that is not agricultural land.

Gender-neutral language:

  • The proposed amendments to the Vancouver Charter will eliminate all instances where gender-specific language is used and replace it with gender-neutral language.
  • These amendments do not alter the existing authority or power granted under the sections where gender-specific language was removed.
  • There is also an amendment that adds sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination as identified in the Human Rights Code.

Energy benchmarking:

  • The proposed amendments to the Vancouver Charter provide council the authority to make bylaws to establish requirements to report information respecting greenhouse gas emissions or the use of energy or water.