NORTH BATTLEFORD - Council in North Battleford has appointed a third-party investigator to conduct an independent investigation arising from an ethics complaint received by the city.
At a special meeting held Wednesday, council unanimously accepted administration's recommendation to appoint Angela Kruk of the Regina law firm Gates and Company to do the impartial third-party investigation.
According to City Manager Randy Patrick, Kruk has done this work for most of Saskatchewan and "is quite familiar with the process," and with the relevant bylaws and acts. Among her qualifications, Kruk has recently been appointed integrity commissioner for the cities of Regina and Saskatoon.
"This is a person who can get the job done fairly quickly, and provide a report back to council," said Patrick.
The appointment is according to the city's Code of Ethics bylaw, following the submission of a Schedule A Complaint. Under the bylaw, an individual can fill out a formal complaint form to request an investigation into whether a member or members of council contravened the Code of Ethics.
Patrick confirmed the city had received that complaint, and under the bylaw the city is to appoint an impartial third-party investigator within 30 days. They faced a looming deadline of Jan. 6 to appoint the impartial investigator, which prompted the special meeting and the approval Wednesday.
The reason for the complaint has not yet been made public.
