A third-party whistleblower policy and program proposed by Councillor Marni Fedeyko was voted down by a slim 3-2 margin at last night's first council meeting since July.
Councillor Fedeyko sought the use of a third-party software to ensure anonymity to both town employees and members of the public in voicing complaints.
She pointed out that third-party software is also adaptable to focus on such matters as ethics, compliance, health and safety, cyber security, government contracting, equity and inclusion as well as harassment and discrimination.
"Growing organizations are looking this way to allow employees and residents to voice their opinion in a safe, confidential, and anonymous way," she said. "Currently, Cochrane's only way of dealing with complaints is through internal branches, which can lead to leaked information, bias investigations created that may not be necessary, lack of trust, and an employment environment based on fear rather than honesty."
She believes it would create a culture of transparency, trust, and accountability and allow the voices of residents to be heard.
Town administration says it's not turning a blind eye to complaints and has systems in place to allow for both employees and staff to register complaints.
Its report states there is a process established for councillors to file a complaint under the Town of Cochrane Code of Conduct Bylaw that includes the option of bringing in outside investigators.
Such a method was used in a complaint filed against Fedeyko. Even though investigators found the allegations were unsubstantiated, sanctions were imposed.
"In the case of an allegation against a member of staff, the human resources department, which operates under the direction of the Director of Organizational Strategy & Culture and ultimately the CAO, will either conduct the investigation with internal resources or contract out, dependent on the complexity and the staffing levels that may be involved," states the administration's briefing.
Councillor Fedeyko says this isn't enough, nor does it ensure anonymity.
"I would be very sad that we don't take a strong look at how we can make this system better for not only staff members but for residents, and that's the one part that everyone seems to have forgotten."
While not denying the procedure could be improved, town administration says it's simply not a priority right now.
"While the online solution does provide anonymity for a complainant, administration does not believe the solution is a priority mid-budget-cycle but will continue to evaluate options and give consideration to inclusion in upcoming budgets for an online reporting portal for employees," the report states.
Mayor Jeff Genung, who opposed Fedeyko's motion, agreed with both administration and Councillor Alex Reed that this is not a high priority.
"Out of all of the things that we have to deal with across the community, this is one, but it's not the priority for me at this point," says Genung. "I see a lot of people at a lot of events almost on a daily basis, and I have not heard from one person asking for this."
Earlier, Councillor Reed lectured the public on how they should interpret the discussions.
"If this is defeated, there are going to be those ignorant enough to say 'Oh, Cochrane doesn't have a whistleblower policy'. Well, they're missing the opportunity to recognize we do."
Councillor Morgan Nagel, the lone supporter of Fedeyko's motion says he supports any opportunity to increase transparency.
"I just think it's a little weird that there's so much resistance to this whole thing, and I'm in favour of it."
Genung questioned what the full cost of the policy. Incorporating the use of the software would be less than $10,000, but then what?
"Who does the investigation, if there is one? Where does the third party that you outlined come from, if it's a third party that automated gets triggered, then we're not quantifying of this, and it's the cost that I'm talking about."
"If we're only getting a triage site for complaints then what happens, that's what I'm really focused on."
Town CAO Mike Derricott said, in essence, purchasing the software would be equivalent to putting the cart before the horse, but acknowledging there is work to do, and opportunities to continue to grow and enhance processes, especially with the immense growth in the town's organization.
"Just purely from a systems perspective, it feels like we're starting at the end of the process, and not the beginning, and that to me it typically doesn't lend itself to efficiency and the best possible outcomes."
Councillors Fedeyko and Nagel were in favour. Mayor Genung and councillors Reed and Susan Flowers were opposed.
Councillors Patrick Wilson and Tara McFadden were absent.