Regina city councillor's decision to 'reply all' could result in reprimand

Regina city council will have a decision on its hands Wednesday, about whether a reprimand is needed for Coun. Andrew Stevens after he disclosed a confidential report.

The report, dated June 13, 2022, pertained to a variety of allegations that were made against fellow Coun. Terina Nelson by Stevens in early 2022.

“The allegations covered in the report were all dismissed by the Integrity Commissioner, either because they were found to be unsubstantiated or because there was an insufficient basis to investigate them,” the report read.

After receiving the report by email, Stevens chose to "reply to all" when sending his response, and in doing so, sent it to other members of city council, the acting city clerk, the acting city manager, and the city solicitor.

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An alternative Integrity Commissioner, Randy Langgard, was chosen to investigate Steven’s actions and determine if Regina's code of ethics bylaw was violated.

Langgard's report noted that Stevens admitted he was “in error” and he "regretted it immediately."

However, the commissioner did find that Stevens violated the confidentiality section of the city’s bylaw.

Langgard went on to say that breaches of confidentiality do not have to be intentional.

“The respondent says it never occurred to him that sending it the city solicitor was inappropriate,” the report says.

“I can accept the respondents’ assertion that his disclosure may not have been intentional in relation to the other parties, though it was certainly careless. The respondent has admitted to being frustrated at the time in question has referred to a 'lapse in judgement' on his part.”

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Under the ethics bylaw, possible sanctions include a reprimand, requiring that the member apologize to those impacted, requiring educational training, removing the member from council committees or other bodies or dismissing the member from a position of chairperson of a council committee.

In Steven's case, the integrity commissioner recommends council censure or reprimand Stevens for disclosing the confidential report and ask Stevens to provide a written apology to Nelson.

The number of hours spent on the investigation and its cost will be revealed at Wednesday’s council meeting.