Calgary city council votes to raise confidential document breach to province
Calgary city council has voted to escalate a confidential document leak by a councillor to the provincial government for investigation. The lack of a municipal code of conduct in Alberta has left the city with limited options to hold the councillor accountable for the breach.
Why it matters
This situation highlights the governance challenges created when provincial authorities remove municipal oversight mechanisms without providing immediate replacements.
In a special meeting on Tuesday, council voted for Mayor Jeromy Farkas to call on Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams and the province's privacy commissioner to take whatever steps they deem necessary in response to Johnston's leak. Several councillors also raised concerns on Tuesday that Johnston had indicated he would leak confidential information again.
Johnston said he leaked confidential documents ahead of Calgary's four-year budget talks this fall, arguing his actions were in the public interest due to council considering a large property tax hike as part of an "unconstrained budget."
Farkas said on Tuesday he’s confident the province will take reviewing Johnston’s actions seriously, and that staff from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs had already started looking into the matter over the weekend.
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