Integrity Commissioner Lisa Southern outlined her decision in a 42-page report released July 5 on Kennedy’s comments on a draft of Hardwick’s proposal about her request for a referendum to determine whether Vancouver residents are interested in a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics. “Mayor Stewart violated Section 3.4(a) of the Code of Conduct when he posted tweets that were inaccurate about Councilman Hardwick,” Southern said in the report. The Code of Conduct regulation sets out the rules that members must follow in the performance of their duties as elected or appointed officials. That section says council members “must ensure that their communications accurately reflect the facts of the council’s decisions.”
The category
In the tweets, Stewart accused Hardwick of violating a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the City of Vancouver, the resort municipality of Whistler, and the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Wautuh and Lil’wat Nations. Stewart said the council approved the Memorandum of Understanding to work with nations to explore how the Olympic bid could become “the world’s first reconciliation games”. .https://t.co/f3kSEU2cZ5 —@kennedystewart “The Memorandum of Understanding is a critical element of our UNDRIP obligations—now formalized in provincial law—as it outlined a clear process to be followed by all in good faith, which, at the end of it, includes a board vote on a recommendation and may include community votes. Stewart wrote in one of the tweets. He added that he did not support Hardwick’s draft proposal and urged other councilors to consider what Hardwick’s decision – which he described as a “tear-up” of the MoU – says about their own commitment to reconciliation. According to the report, Hardwick said in response that her move did not violate the agreement and confirmed that the original draft proposal was submitted to the city clerk in February. He said he sought input from staff and council and at no time was the MOU raised as a concern by anyone consulted in the period leading up to the council meeting. She also argued that her proposal was not anti-reconciliation and did not violate UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) obligations. Vancouver councilor Colleen Hardwick, pictured here, said in the report that she sought input from staff and council on her draft, and no one ever pointed out that it violated the Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the four First Nations of B.C. . (Ben Nelms/CBC) According to the report, Stewart stood by his comment, stating that “my tweets confirm my understanding of the applicability and validity of this MOU.” Southern proposed to correct the public record to reflect that the move did not violate the MOU. He also said the mayor and council should be educated more about their obligations under the Code of Conduct.
Olympic Games 2030
In June, the four First Nations of B.C. and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced their idea for how the province could host the 2030 Winter Olympics. The plan includes details of where the events will be held and an outline of how an Indigenous-led race would showcase their cultures and history. xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Chief Wayne Sparrow said in the announcement that all nations would take the next few months to consult with their communities and decide whether they wanted to submit a formal bid with the Canadian Olympic Committee. Sparrow said he hopes the city will accept whatever decision is made by the host states on whether to move forward, without a firm yes-or-no council vote or referendum. CBC News reached out to Hardwick and the mayor’s office for comment, but did not hear back by press time.
