Kelowna city councillor Ron Cannan may be investigated through council's recently adopted code of conduct resulting from an opinion piece which ran in local media this week.
The column, which runs semi-regularly on Kelowna Now has been criticized for some of the views contained within the piece. The piece mentions "valued concerns" regarding the "transgender movement" and encourages people to read the bible.
The article has also drawn the ire of Mayor Tom Dyas who interrupted his vacation to call out Cannan.
In a news release Thursday, Dyas stated the view expressed by Cannan are his and do not reflect those of council.
"It is incumbent upon individual councillors to explicitly state their views are personal and not those of council as a whole," said Dyas.
While the introduction to the article states Cannan is a member of city council, the body of the column does not state the views are his alone. The piece does have a message, which appears on all of the outlet's columns, that the contribution reflects "only the opinions of those who write them, and not necessarily those of KelownaNow or its staff."
"Members of council and the public have shared their concerns with me regarding Coun. Cannan's viewpoints and we are disappointed that he has used his elected position as a city councillor this way," said Dyas."
"Many of the issues he has expressed opinions about are outside the jurisdiction of local government."
Dyas went on to state the mayor remains the official spokesperson for the city and as mayor, he says he will continue to promote inclusivity and safety for all residents while also focusing on matters within the the purview of local government.
"Council recently approved a code of conduct governing the behaviour and expectations of council and this matter will be given due consideration," Dyas concluded.
The code of conduct states in part under 'interactions with the public and advocacy,' "when presenting their individual opinions and positions, council members will explicitly state that it is their personal view and that they do not represent council or the city in those views."
According to the code an attempt should be made to resolve the complaint directly with the offending councillor before a formal complaint is submitted.
