New Westminster council members must now get approval before heading off to international conferences and sponsored events.
At its Jan. 27 meeting, council unanimously supported a revised council and expense policy. The revised policy covers the process for payment of expenditures when council members are representing the city, engaging in city business, and attending educational opportunities such as workshops, seminars, training programs, conferences, and conventions.
One component of the revised policy related to international travel by members of council to attend conferences, events and meetings. It is now subject to council approval and requires a summary of the request, including travel expenses related to attendance to be paid for by the city and a statement of expected value to be derived as a result of attendance at the function.
Coun. Daniel Fontaine, who raised concerns about Mayor Patrick Johnstone’s attendance at the COP28 conference in Dubai in December 2023, welcomed the revised policy.
“t's really nice to see that as a result of some discussions we've had around this table over the last number of months that staff have incorporated that feedback into the report. And for the public who have not seen the report, it now provides much more clarity in terms of international travel that councillors or the mayor must seek the pre-approval of council for such trips, be they sponsored or not sponsored.”
Fontaine believes the public will see a lot more openness, transparency and accountability as a result of this updated travel policy.
In July 2024, council voted 3-2 in support of a motion from Johnstone that included recommendations regarding internation travel, travel outside of B.C., sponsored travel, and reporting requirements to council of the value of participation from attending events by council members. The revised council travel policy is consistent with Johnstone’s motion.
What’s in the policy?
In addition to internation travel, the policy provides details about various aspects of council expenses and travel, including attendance at various conferences. This includes:
- Mayor and councillors may select the conferences and events they wish to attend, subject to the provisions of the policy. Conferences and seminars should be based on their relevance to the role and professional development of the council members.
- The mayor and all councillors are authorized to attend the annual events of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) convention, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention, and the Lower Mainland Local Government Association (LMLGA) annual general meeting.
- Council members are limited to attending one conference annually outside of B.C., but within Canada each year, unless approved by council.
- Council members’ participation at certain conferences, events, and meetings (excluding the FCM, UBCM and LMLGA) which require overnight travel outside of B.C. requires a written summary in an open council meeting within three months of the completion of travel. This includes a summary of actual travel expenses incurred and a description of the participation, learnings, and value from participating in the event.
- Aside from the FCM, UBCM, and LMLGA, council attendance at “sponsored” conferences, events and meetings are subject to council approval.
- Council members wishing to combine a business trip with personal travel may do so at their own expense.
- Ineligible expenses for council members include: overnight accommodation costs within Metro Vancouver, unless the council members are involved as a key member of the organization committee; spousal or partner attendance or travel costs; lost wages, income, or opportunity costs.
- Expense report summaries, including all eligible expenses, must be provided to the finance department twice year, in June and October. This is to ensure council members are aware of their actual expenses in relation to the council expenses and travel budget.
