BC: send your email to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and tell them why you want a provincial Integrity Commissioner to be announced before the 2026 Election.
Alberta: send your email to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and them why you want a provincial Integrity Commissioner with the ability to remove an elected person from office.
Ontario: See what our colleagues at Ontario Women Say No are doing and join them!
SAMPLE EMAIL:
The Honorable David Eby, Premier of British Columbia
PO Box 9041 STN Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
Dear Premier Eby,
Municipally elected officials deserve an accountable workplace – and we need your help. It is time for the government of British Columbia to take necessary action to ensure workplace safety for local government employees, create a fair and respectful environment for elected officials in local government to govern, and preserve our community’s trust in democracy.
The Minister of Municipal Affairs needs a mandate to build accountability for the behavior of elected local officials with two actions:
1. Establish an office of Integrity with a commissioner equipped to vet complaints and the authority to bring binding resolutions to local governments.
2. Amend the Local Government Act to separate content from behavior in the confidentiality of closed meetings.
Dozens of reports of racism, sexism, abuse, and harassment by local government elected officials make it to the media every year, with many more never making it to the headlines or the public. This chaos and distraction creates a barrier for good governance as members of the elected council often spend their time managing the behavior of one member, or exhausting their personal funds on legal fees to mediate what should be resolved by an Integrity Commissioner.
“I have a colleague on Council who demonstrates behavior that I would describe as bullying towards municipal staff.” – participant, The Barriers Project.
Many instances are never even reported because they occur during in-camera or closed meetings and even talking about the abuse opens up the victim to legal threats that come with high cost and stress.
While investigating why women and gender minorities leave local government in BC, The Feminist Campaign School documented firsthand accounts of abuse and harm both experienced by and committed by elected officials. These officials who experience this abuse proposed two solutions: separating behavior from content in closed meetings to be able to address misconduct and creating an integrity office with the authority to take action and resolve such issues.
“… I had an issue with a fellow councilor who is a bully.. My mayor at the time is a peacemaker so I brought in the CAO under the workplace bullying and harassment policy for staff. They just talked to the mayor. Turns out the mayor was also being bullied by that councilor.” – participant, The Barriers Project.
We deserve to have local governments that reflect the communities we live in and that requires a safe and respectful workplace for everyone.
The Province has a duty to ensure that local governments are governed with the highest standards of respect and accountability. I urge you to mandate the Minister of Affairs to address these issues with urgency by implementing stronger accountability measures and establishing an Office of Integrity for local governments.
Join me in leaving a legacy of hope – for future candidates and for all communities.