The people who deal with day-to-day operations in northern municipalities combined forces in Prince Albert this week at the New North Administrators Conference.
About two dozen people learned the ins and outs of the Provincial Ombudsman’s office, which recently gained the new responsibility of looking into municipal matters.
Ombudsman Mary McFadyen points out, her investigations aren’t meant to advocate for the complainant or to get people in trouble.
“People do get defensive because they think that we’re looking at, that they’ve done something wrong, and that’s certainly not our intention, not our role. We’re just trying to determine the facts, what process was used, and if there’s any way that we can help them make their processes better for citizens,” she said.
Another important point, is that her work is done confidentially. It isn’t until an investigation is complete, when McFadyen decides if it’s in the public interest to release the details. She said the factors she looks at include whether or not the issues are already in the public domain and whether previous reports have relayed incorrect information.
Her scope goes beyond just mayors and council members, into economic development corporations.
“The definition of who we can investigate in municipalities is very wide. So we can take complaints about committees or corporations that have been established by a municipality, or its council, to set up and do business,” she said.
The day-long conference has also gone over the importance of ensuring water infrastructure is running safely – not just because they have to, but because it keeps people healthy.
The northern Saskatchewan offerings from Sask Housing and how to build capacity in northern municipalities were also discussed.