A committee is recommending that Calgary city council approve a major overhaul of its Ethical Conduct Policy.
One of the biggest changes will see more restrictions placed on gifts that councillors receive.
“Our current policy is permissive. You can accept anything you want as long as you disclose it if it’s over ‘X’ dollars,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said.
All gifts over $150 have to be disclosed under the current policy.
“The new policy is restrictive. You cannot accept gifts unless they fall on this list and you must disclose everything of any value,” Nenshi added.
As part of the overhaul, several existing policies are being brought under the umbrella of a single policy.
The city’s ethics advisor was concerned that parts of the current policy, brought in after Nenshi was elected in 2010, were unclear, and not comprehensive.
“The ethics advisor’s thought here was to make it much more restrictive and I think it’s something well worth trying,” Nenshi said.
The proposed changes also require council members to communicate with the public, one another and city employees “respectfully, without abuse, bullying or intimidation.”