Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary
This is an important step forward to improve openness, transparency, and accountability at City Hall
Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary
Calgary, AB,
11
April
2016
|
09:47
America/Denver

City Council appoints Integrity Commissioner and Ethics Advisor

Calgary first city in western Canada to establish independent Integrity Commissioner

Monday, April 11, 2016 –Following an extensive search conducted by Boyden Global Executive Search, City Council has hired Calgary’s first Ethics Advisor and Integrity Commissioner. Professor Alice Woolley will serve as Ethics Advisor and Mr. Allen Sulatycky will serve as Integrity Commissioner.

“This is an important step forward to improve openness, transparency, and accountability at City Hall,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Professor Woolley and Mr. Sulatycky will provide excellent oversight and support for City Council, and I know they will serve Calgarians well in their roles.”

The City of Calgary is the first municipality in western Canada to create an independent Integrity Commissioner. Within the newly-created Integrity and Ethics Office, the Integrity Commissioner is responsible for investigating and adjudicating potential ethics matters related to City Council where he sees fit. The Ethics Advisor will provide advice and education to City Council while also being a resource to help Calgarians better-understand ethical expectations for elected municipal officials.

The Integrity Commissioner and Ethics Advisor are to provide a report to City Council by June 2016. This report will include:

  • proposed enhanced terms of reference for their positions;
  • a plan to transition responsibility for The City’s whistle-blower program, as it relates to Council members, from the City Auditor’s Office to the Integrity and Ethics Office; and
  • proposed amendments to bylaws (if required).

Brief Biographies

Alice Woolley – Ethics Advisor

Professor Woolley currently serves as Associate Dean (Academic) of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with High Distinction and a Bachelor of Laws degree (first in class) from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Law degree from Yale Law School. Professor Woolley previously served as a Law Clerk to the Right Honourable Chief Justice Antonio Lamer of the Supreme Court of Canada and practiced law in large Calgary law firms. In addition, Professor Woolley is the author of numerous books, articles, book chapters, commentaries, and book reviews, has been a frequent presenter at conferences on ethics and other topics, is the recipient of several grants, scholarships and awards, and currently serves as President of the Canadian Association of Legal Ethics. In 2015, Professor Woolley was named by Canadian Lawyer magazine as one of Canada’s top 25 most influential lawyers in the justice system and legal profession.

Allen Sulatycky – Integrity Commissioner

A former Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, Mr. Sulatycky holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Saskatchewan and had an extremely distinguished career as a lawyer and Justice. In 1968, former Justice Sulatycky was elected Member of Parliament for Rocky Mountain and in that capacity served on numerous House of Commons committees and as Parliamentary Secretary to both the Ministers of Energy, Mines and Resources and Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Former Justice Sulatycky was appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in 1982. In 1997, he was appointed as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Alberta and Justice of the Court of Appeal of the North West Territories. In 1999, he was appointed as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nunavut. In 2000, he was appointed Associate Chief Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, a position he retired from in 2004. After service as a Supernumerary Justice, former Justice Sulatycky retired in 2013.

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