Richmond County hopes new code of conduct will eliminate previous issues

A Cape Breton municipality that suspended one of its councillors two years ago for sending inappropriate messages to a constituent has adopted Nova Scotia's new code of conduct for municipal politicians.  

Richmond County representatives voted unanimously at their Monday evening council session in Arichat to accept the code, which was announced by the province's Municipal Affairs Department two days after October's municipal elections.

The code includes 40 guidelines under 14 categories, covering topics from gifts and benefits, to how officials should handle confidential information. All municipal units in Nova Scotia are expected to adopt the new code no later than Dec. 19. 

Richmond council voted to bar then District 2 representative Michael Diggdon from council meetings for a month in the spring of 2022 after an internal investigation found he had broken the county's municipal code of conduct. 

The investigation began after a woman reported that Diggdon had responded to her inquiries about finding low-income housing by texting her during a council meeting and asking her to send him a picture of herself.

Under the provincewide code, a third-party investigator chosen by council would step in once a complaint is lodged against an elected official.

Deputy Warden Brent Sampson feels the new code would have helped the municipality in 2022.

"That's not a situation anyone wants to find themselves in," Sampson said after Monday night's meeting. 

"So to have an independent third party do it, I think it's probably better for everybody involved."

New warden welcomes code but still seeks answers

Lois Landry, the councillor who defeated Diggdon in District 2 last month, now serves as warden of Richmond County and is pleased the province moved quickly on the new code of conduct. 

"I believe that elected officials should have a policy that makes it clear that if you behave in ways that you shouldn't, there are going to be consequences," Landry told reporters after Monday's council session.

But she said it's unclear who is responsible for lodging a complaint once word has arisen about a councillor's misconduct.

Despite those misgivings, Landry said she and council are happy to proceed with the new code and she's hopeful that their questions will soon have answers. 

"I think I would have been more concerned if they had said, 'No, let's wait a year until everybody's questions are answered,'" the warden said. 

The code was originally requested by the province's municipalities and villages, and it was developed based on recommendations of a working group established in January 2022.