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Town of Nipawin extends code of conduct to employees

Mar 22, 2018 | 12:00 PM

Changes to the Saskatchewan Municipalities Act have forced Nipawin town council to revise their code of conduct and apply the rules to all employees.

A dispute within the council of the Rural Municipality of Sherwood, near Regina, regarding conflicts of interest spurred the province to make changes to the act in 2015. Three council members were found to be in a conflict following legal payments and land acquisitions, and Nipawin chief administrative officer Barry Elliott said that incident led directly to the changes in the Nipawin’s own code of ethics document.

“This all relates to the concerns in the RM of Sherwood and decisions made by the province with respect to council conflict of interest rules now being extended to employees,” Elliott told northeastNOW.

In addition to the rules about conflicts, other items in the code of conduct include the appropriate dress for work and not publicly discussing town business. Elliott said council and administration used the provincial act as a guideline, but localized the code of conduct as well.