The provincial Ombudsman says their work increased in 2020 and they reviewed 41 inquiries, disclosures of wrongdoings and complaints of reprisals. That is compared to 25 in 2019. And about 30 per cent of the matters dealt with in 2020 were related to COVID-19 concerns in the workplace.
The provincial Ombudsman’s report was tabled Thursday afternoon and one of the issues it highlighted concerned the City of Saskatoon threatening a resident over a snow-clearing issue. A bylaw enforcement notice told the resident, identified as Roy, that he needed to clean the ice and snow from his sidewalk within 48 hours or he would be fined. If he didn’t pay, the amount would be added to his municipal taxes. And, if there were additional fines, the amount of each would increase.
But Roy says, after it snowed last November, he and his partner had cleared the area. But, a few days later, city crews came through to clear the road and dumped piles of packed snow on his lawn and sidewalk. When Roy tried to explain the situation to several people at city hall, he got nowhere and so, contacted the ombudsman. He was told he should email the city, with pictures he had taken. He did, and got a response the same day that included an apology and word that he would not be fined.
The Ombudsman’s report also highlight concerns around conflict of interest and keeping chickens in the Town of Wolseley. A person identified as Roscoe contacted the ombudsman and said he wrote to the Town about a councillor keeping chickens on a residential property in violation of the Town’s zoning bylaw. He alleged the councillor was in a conflict of interest when she participated in the council’s discussions about the matter at a council meeting.
According to the Ombudsman, the councillor participated in the council’s discussion about Roscoe’s letter. A resolution “that no poultry or chickens be allowed in residential zoned areas in the Town of Wolseley limits” was defeated 4-3. The councillor in question voted to defeat the resolution.
After the Town informed Roscoe about the vote, he submitted a formal code of ethics complaint alleging that the councillor was in a conflict of interest. The Town council discussed his complaint; the councillor participated in the discussion and voted to dismiss the complaint.
The ombudsman’s office wrote to the council about the case. The councillor in question wrote back, admitted to making the mistakes, “unwittingly,” and committed to taking education about conflicts of interest and the code of ethics. The council
likewise wrote, saying it would educate itself on these matters and that it would conduct a bylaw review. The Ombudsman’s office considers the matter resolved.
