Calgary councilor calls for provincial investigation into closed meeting after document leak – Calgary

The Calgary city councilor who admitted to leaking confidential preliminary budget documents is now launching a provincial investigation into the council’s use of closed meetings.

Ward 14 counts. Landon Johnston has written to Alberta’s municipal affairs minister requesting a review of city councils’ use of closed meetings and confidentiality provisions, as well as amendments to the Municipal Government Act with clearer limits on when “municipal finances and policies” can be discussed behind closed doors.

In his letter, Johnston acknowledged that he made the request “amid controversy,” after he claimed last week to have leaked confidential budget documents.

Preliminary documents, obtained by Global News, show a 20 percent property tax increase is needed to fund the roughly $510 million funding request the city council needs to consider.

City council members are preparing to discuss a pre-budget scenario of a 15 percent property tax increase in 2027 in a closed session later this month, according to the document, but the final figure will not be discussed until November.

Johnston said he was not asking the minister to “excuse” his actions, but was asking to look at the broader issues he said the situation had “uncovered.”

“If he wants to investigate me, he has to investigate everything,” he told Global News in an interview on Friday. “I think the outcome of this will be a strengthened process that for every taxpayer and Calgarian, whether they disagree or agree with what I’m doing, will be better for everyone.”

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According to Johnston, the provision most often used to postpone closed meetings is “advisory of officials,” which he called “the most widely abused access to information exception.”

He has requested a ministerial review to examine council meeting records from 2017 to the present to assess the frequency and duration of closed sessions and the conditions used to justify them.

Typically, boards take covert actions when disclosure of information could harm a third party’s business interests, compromise personal privacy, harm law enforcement, or involve a confidential evaluation.

“There are some legitimate reasons why we shot more than 20 times this year and I would say 80 percent of them are legitimate,” he told Global News. “Personnel matters, they can be kept secret for as long as necessary, but even sensitive things need to be disclosed at some point.”

In a statement to Global News, Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he welcomed Johnston’s support for “provincial reforms that I have long advocated,” including clearer confidentiality rules.

“Confidentiality must be narrow, justifiable, and time-limited,” Farkas’ statement read. “There should be independent reviews when confidentiality is disputed and clear consequences if oaths of office or obligations of trust are violated.”

The leak of budget documents prompted Farkas to call a special council meeting Tuesday morning to seek legal advice and determine the impact.

The city council approved sending letters to the minister of municipal affairs as well as the provincial privacy commissioner to inform them of the leak and ask them to take whatever steps they deem necessary.

“Investigate my incident to the fullest extent possible, I have nothing to hide,” Johnston said. “But I think, at the same time, there needs to be an investigation into every leak that occurred this year.”

In a statement to Global News, Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams confirmed he had received Johnston’s letter, and was awaiting another letter from the council.

“Our office has received a letter from Councilman Landon Johnston detailing concerns regarding the city’s transparency,” he said. “We also understand that we are expecting another letter from Calgary City Council, we will review both of these letters and determine if further action is required.”

The provincial government has conducted a municipal inspection of the city’s water system following the failure of both Bearspaw feeder lines.

The former chairman of the Alberta Energy Regulator’s board, David Goldie, was tasked with leading the investigation.

It’s still unclear when the results will be announced, but the provincial government says inspections can typically take between six and 18 months.