Surrey council votes to hire ethics commissioner
Posted June 10, 2019 9:01 pm.
Last Updated June 11, 2019 12:13 am.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) — Surrey will be hiring an ethics commissioner, meant to keep city officials accountable and maintain trust with the public.
Councillors voted Monday night to create the Office of the Ethics Commissioner position — the first for a city in B.C. — as well as develop a whistle blower policy for staff. The position is meant to help maintain the public’s trust in local government, and act as a neutral, independent officer overseeing city officials.
And very quickly the plan to being forward and Ethics Commisioner to Surrey has been voted on and approved. Motion was first brought forward by councillor @JackHundial back in Feb. @NEWS1130
— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) June 11, 2019
Coun. Jack Hundial, who proposed the idea in February, says he’s pleased the plan is going ahead.
“They deserve to have a council who’s accountable, who is fair, and certainly one where if allegations are levied against any elected officials or senior managers, there’s an independent mechanism set up,” he says.
Council hopes to fill the position by next year.