Yellowknife council weighs in on whether to reprimand councillor for ethics violation

Several Yellowknife city councillors say they're in favour of publicly reprimanding a councillor whoviolatedthe code of ethicsby tryingto get the city to reimburse them for a laptop they misplaced.

Councillors discussed the issue at acommittee meeting on Tuesday. It follows the release last month of a report by the city's integrity commissioner that recommends councillors consider censuring Coun. Cat McGurk for a "sequence of problematic decisions" and "irrational, self-serving and persistent" behaviour to rationalize their actions.

McGurkhas said they acceptthe findings of the integrity commissioner and acknowledged they acted inappropriately to avoid covering the cost of the missing laptop.

"Actions have consequences," said Coun. Rob Warburton, at Tuesday's committee meeting.

"So I think to just accept it and do nothing sends the wrong message ... People think we get a pass just because we say sorry. So yeah, it is a very tough one, but I would support censure."

The integrity commissioner's report details how, during the city's wildfire evacuation in 2023, McGurk stayed in the city to help co-ordinate volunteers, and borrowed and then misplaced the personal laptop of someone who worked for an electrical company involved in the city's wildfire response.

The reportsays that later,after McGurkcouldn't find the laptop, they went totwo different contractors neither of whom had ties to the laptop owner and asked them to invoice the city for it.In a statement to CBC, McGurk said they have sincepaid the person $750 for the missing laptop.

Yellowknife residents dismayed by report, councillor says

Coun.Ben Hendriksensaid Tuesday that he's received questions and comments from Yellowknife residents dismayed by the integrity commissioner's findings. He said residents are asking what council will do about this incident.

"We need to use the very, very limited authority we have to show the publicthat we understand the hurt and mistrust this incident caused them and that we have taken this incident as seriously as we can," Hendrikson said.

Hendrikson says censureor publicly reprimandingMcGurk is an appropriate step in this situation.

Coun. Steve Payne agreed, saying that while McGurk has expressed regret and apologized, it is essential for council to send the right message.

"We do have to answer to the public, and the public has been very vocal on this issue," Payne said.

Mayor Rebecca Alty said censures are an important tool to showthatcouncil does not support certain behaviour. Although McGurk has accepted responsibility, Alty said it is also important to publicly reprimand them for their actions.

"We've seen it in the past too, where council has issued a censureand the member has already accepted responsibility for their actions. So I think it's important that we have both," Alty said.

McGurktook responsibility, so shouldn't be censured

Not every councillor agrees that McGurk should be censured.

Coun. Tom McLennan noted that the integrity commissioner saidcensure would be an appropriate penalty if McGurk was unwilling to take responsibility for their actions. McLennan saidMcGurk had accepted and learned from their actions.

"Given that Member McGurk did accept the conclusions of the report censure would not be an appropriate penalty," McLennan said.

Coun.Garett Cochrane said McGurk has met the threshold for taking personal responsibility,but said that he will follow the majority of the council.

"If we move toward censure, then we move toward censure," Cochrane said.

Council will meet again on Nov.25 to pass a motion on thematter.