The Town of Hanna council decided it will look more closely at the background of candidates running in municipal elections. The discussion about police background checks was held at the Mar. 25 committee of the whole (COW) meeting.

Readers should note COW meetings are held for reports and presentations, with any resolutions being held over to the next regular council meeting.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Matthew Norburn reported that at a previous council meeting, Coun. Brenda Karg had asked staff to look into the option of requiring candidates for Hanna’s municipal elections to provide a police background check as part of their nomination papers. Norburn noted requiring such a check is an option the Government of Alberta gave to municipalities in the most recent revision of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), but it would require a bylaw.

“Finding three municipalities that have that, the City of Calgary, Town of Crossfield and the City of Beaumont,” said Norburn. “The most details I could find were based on the City of Calgary's one. They do require a police information check when they submit their applications and run for council.”

Norburn explained that it seems municipalities that require this check do not necessarily share this information with the public, except the City of Calgary, which provides the information to anyone who requests to see candidate nomination papers which, of course, include the check.

The CAO stated that if a bylaw was in place requiring the check and a prospective candidate didn’t complete it, that candidate could be disqualified for submitting an incomplete nomination.

“But no matter what was on it, it could be a mile long of criminal offences, but they’re not disqualified unless they have done the ones that are breaking the rules for the Elections Act,” said Norburn.

Norburn recommended taking an approach similar to Calgary: providing the information if a member of the public requests a candidate's nomination papers.

However, Coun. Karg pointed out that according to the MGA, the contents of a police information check could disqualify a candidate for several reasons; one example she cited several times in the meeting was a candidate’s report showing he or she spent more than five years in jail.

It was noted during the meeting a criminal record check and a police information check are different things.

Coun. Erica Rorabeck stated support for a police information report requirement. “We’re not using this to disqualify people, but I think we need to protect the credibility of council,” said Rorabeck.

Coun. Karg stated that police information checks are becoming more common in many organizations and noted that some council committees require one even though town council doesn’t.

Mayor Danny Povaschuk observed that he’s been monitoring a situation in the City of Wetaskiwin where the mayor has been banned from city hall with both sides getting lawyers involved. “...and each side is releasing enough information to make it just absolutely bonkers,” said Povaschuk.

Povaschuk stated he was not opposed to a police information check requirement, but had concerns about transparency and privacy.

Councillors decided that staff would prepare a draft police information check for election candidates bylaw based on the City of Calgary’s and bring it to a future council meeting for discussion.