Connect with us

City of Red Deer

Councillor Buck Buchanan facing sanctions after Mayor Veer submits complaint

Published

5 minute read

Code of Conduct investigation closes with sanctions for Councillor Buchanan

Following an independent investigation stemming from a complaint received by City Council on April 15, 2021, Councillor Buck Buchanan faces sanctions for breaching Red Deer City Council’s Code of Conduct Bylaw. By a majority vote on July 26, 2021, Council accepted the findings in the investigator’s report, which conclude that Councillor Buchanan breached three sections of the Code of Conduct Bylaw.

All municipalities in Alberta are required by the Municipal Government Act (MGA) to have a Code of Conduct Bylaw that sets shared expectations for conduct or behaviour. The bylaw outlines how members should conduct themselves while carrying out their responsibilities and establishes a review and investigation process when a complaint is received. The City of Red Deer passed its Code of Conduct Bylaw (2608-2018) on July 23, 2018.

The formal Code of Conduct complaint (C-01-2021), submitted by Mayor Tara Veer in response to public and staff complaints, alleges that Councillor Buchanan breached the bylaw through his social media activity in January 2021 and prior actions, causing City Council to lose leadership credibility and frustrating The City’s pandemic response efforts.

After a review committee of three Council members initially reviewed the complaint, and by majority vote determined that it should proceed to formal investigation, SAGE Analytics Inc. was hired to investigate and report back to City Council.

SAGE is a municipal consulting firm with expertise in governance evaluation, dispute resolution, and council code of conduct complaint investigations. SAGE utilized a process that included interviews and follow-up with both parties, witness interviews, a review of related correspondence received by The City, document review, analysis and report writing.

With the investigation complete, the findings conclude that Councillor Buchanan breached three sections in the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw:

  • 7.1, which states “members shall uphold the law established by the Parliament of Canada and the Legislature of Alberta and the bylaws, policies and procedures adopted by Council.”
  • 7.2, which states “members shall respect the Municipality as an institution, its bylaws, policies and procedures and shall encourage public respect for the Municipality, its bylaws, policies and procedures” and
  • 4.1(d), which states, City Council must “arrange their private affairs and conduct themselves in a manner that promotes public confidence.”

According to the findings, a social media post made by Councillor Buchanan in January 2021, combined with his prior actions, amounted to a breach of the bylaw. SAGE determined these actions were disrespectful to the local pandemic response efforts and increased a division in the community between individuals in favour of and opposed to health restrictions. SAGE’s report finds that through Councillor Buchanan’s actions, The City’s reputation was damaged, and The City’s pandemic response efforts were negatively impacted. They also determined he demonstrated a pattern of conduct where he made negative comments that did not promote public confidence in The City’s pandemic response efforts.

Having accepted that Councillor Buchanan contravened three sections of the Bylaw, Council considered the sanctions recommended by SAGE and ultimately resolved by majority vote to require that Councillor Buchanan:

  • Issue a public apology to Red Deer residents, businesses, staff, and Council for his actions and social media post on January 27, 2021, which caused increased confusion and division in the community during a time of crisis; and that this apology be provided to the satisfaction of Council, during a public portion of a Council meeting.
  • Arrange an in-person meeting with the AHS Central Zone Medical Director, or designate to offer a personal apology to Alberta Health Services for any harm caused by his public comments during the pandemic response.
  • Be suspended from all Council committees and all Deputy Mayor rotation duties until sincere apologies are provided.
  • Complete social media training hired and paid for by The City of Red Deer that aligns with typical media training for City staff.

The investigation is considered complete. Councillor Buchanan continues to serve as Red Deer City Councillor.

This is the first formal Code of Conduct complaint received by The City of Red Deer.

Additional information resources:

City of Red Deer

Nominations are in for the by-election to replace beloved citizen and City Councillor Michael Dawe

Published on

Nominations are in for the 2024 By-Election

The nominations are in for the historic By-Election that will take place in Red Deer on April 22, 2024.

“This is history in the making,” said Jessica Robinson, Returning Officer for The City of Red Deer. “For the first time, Red Deer residents will take to the polls to fill a vacant Councillor seat, and these 10 candidates have added their names on the ballot.”

The 10 candidates running for Councillor in the upcoming By-Election are:

  • BUCHANAN, S.H. (Buck)
  • CHILIBECK, Jason
  • COLLINGS, Mark
  • CULLEN-SAIK, Linda
  • HUIZING, Hans
  • KRAHN, Chad
  • MACDONALD, Ashley
  • MILANEY, Liam (The Level)
  • TWEEDLE, Jaelene
  • YZERMAN, Calvin

By-Election Day is Monday, April 22, 2024, with advance voting days on April 18, 19 and 20.

Residents are encouraged to visit elections.reddeer.ca for information about the Election including the full list of candidates, voting opportunities, and frequently asked questions.

Continue Reading

City of Red Deer

Land Use Bylaw changes to promote more housing options and more overlap between commercial, industrial and residential

Published on

Public Hearing on updated Land Use Bylaw on April 15

At Monday’s regular City Council meeting, City Council passed first reading on the Land Use Bylaw, also known as the Zoning Bylaw, triggering a legislatively required public hearing to be held on April 15.

Notable proposed changes include:

  • Reducing 11 residential districts to 9 zones
  • Reducing 7 commercial districts to 6 zones
  • Reducing 5 industrial districts to 3 zones
  • More permitted uses in each zone
  • More gentle density options to provide increased housing options, including house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes
  • Increased building heights, that considers sightlines and privacy of existing dwellings
  • Greater flexibility for development applications
  • New regulations to gently transition existing neighbourhoods to maintain characte

A summary of all proposed changes can be viewed online at reddeer.ca/LUBreview.

Items not changing in the proposed Zoning Bylaw include:

  • Waskasoo and Woodlea Character Statements
  • Signage regulations
  • Any property with existing regulations

With the passing of first reading, the public is invited to provide additional input at the Public Hearing during the regular City Council meeting on April 15, 2024. Following the Public Hearing, City Council can consider additional amendments to the proposed bylaw.

“The changes won’t result in drastic changes to our cityscape overnight, but instead will lead to slow and gentle changes, including making development easier and allow for more permitted uses,” said Emily Damberger, Manager of City Planning & Growth. “We invite our public to read the proposed bylaw, including the summary of potential changes in advance of the Public Hearing on April 15.”

The proposed Land Use Bylaw or Zoning Bylaw can be viewed in its entirety on reddeer.ca/LUBreview.

Continue Reading

Trending

X