Councillor Accountability

A lot of the people currently sitting at the horseshoe campaigned on transparency.

(Yup, I’m laughing too.)

We get the travel and expense reports as to how much money council members spent on attending various conferences but we have no idea what they did, who they spoke to or what they learned.

File photo

2024 Alberta Municipalities Convention

We sent 6 council members including the mayor

No report

2024 Federation of Canadian Municipalities

We sent 3 council members including the mayor 

No report

2025 May 29 - June 1 Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Held their convention in Ottawa Ontario. That’s an expensive trip. We received no reports from Council or even an acknowledgement that anybody went.

I think we deserve to see reports from every council member as to what happens on these trips.

They might have 

• visited relatives, 

• done a lot of networking,

• helped feed the unhoused, 

• attended many informative panels, 

• smoked crack with truck stop sex workers (Obviously I am exaggerating a wee bit but we do know of at least one Canadian municipal politician who did smoke crack.)

  
  

Until we get a report, we just don't know. 

I’m not asking for specific details, I’d be happy with

Councillor X attended Y and learned A, B and C

Councillor X met with 8 fellow councillors from 5 different cities

Councillor X participated in panel D and shared the story of how our city handled problem E

Councillor X toured facility F to understand how G works and how it can be applied to our city

Councillor Disclosure

Calgary requires its council members to fill out a Member of Council Disclosure Statement which detail the council member's Real Estate and Financial Holdings and (to the knowledge of the council member) their family. It must be completed within 30 days of an election, it is published on the city website within 30 days of the document being filed (60 days after an election).

Medicine Hat has no such policy.

(Above screenshots of the Calgary Mayor disclosure statement from City of Calgary website)

I think the public deserves to see what financial interests our council members have.

I'll go first.I own my trailer (but not the land) and a part interest in one residential property in Medicine Hat. I have no ownership in any corporation, partnership or otherwise, same for my family members. I am an investigative journalist with the Medicine Hat Owl.

Right now we are expecting the individual council members to disclose their pecuniary interest.We have seen how most of council is not able to make reasonable decisions as indicated in the decision by Justice Nation of last year's Judicial Review of the sanctions imposed on the mayor.

This is an article I wrote nearly one year ago - after the Judicial Review but before the judge's decision.

City Council F@&%Ed Around And Found Out

Calgary has an entire webpage dedicated to council accountability

Calgary Councillors must post their expenses quarterly. Medicine Hat posts expenses once a year.

Calgary has a Council Gift Registry 

Medicine Hat does not.

Calgary has a Council Visitor Registry.

Medicine Hat does not.

I think the public is entitled to know who council members are meeting with and when. It appears as if confidential information has been leaked anonymously to the public in the past, this could have been the conduit. More on this later.