Lethbridge’s city solicitor will take a second look at a task force meant to address lawlessness in the downtown to see if it was created lawfully.
During this week’s governance standing policy committee, members were asked to vote on terms of reference for the Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force, but instead voted to have the legal department look back at the process of creating the task force.
The motion would have ratified members of the task force, which has already held meetings. Two members of the public spoke at the meeting to raise concerns.
Dr. Yale Belanger said he believed allowing two specific members, Hunter Heggie and Matthew McHugh, to sit on the task force would contravene procedure bylaws because they also sit on the police commission. The bylaw states members of the public can only sit on one board, committee or commission at a time.
“I am reasonably well informed and would suggest that a police commission member who simultaneously sits as a task force member must be deemed aligned with other interests. The task force seeks to identify solutions and assist in implementing strategies identified to create sustainable impact – this means task force members will fashion their preferred intervention strategies after which the two members will promote an agenda of their own making to a police commission, which they are also members,” Belanger said.
The committee, with advice from the city solicitor, decided not to recommend the task force stop meeting until the concerns are addressed. The decision was based on the task force’s lack of budget or decision-making power. It reports recommendations to the safety and social standing policy committee, which reports to council.
The committee voted to have the city solicitor review the task force’s terms of reference and look into concerns. The legal department will report back to the committee at the March 28 meeting.
