Saskatoon city hall to draft rules report on complaints against Randy Donauer

A Saskatoon city committee has asked administration to write a report on what options are available to them when public concerns are raised about councillors' conduct.

The motion, made by Mayor Charlie Clark, comes after allegations of physical and emotional abuse against Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer.

Two former students of Christian Centre Academy and the adjacent Saskatoon Christian Centre church, now called Legacy Christian Academy and Mile Two Church, allege Donauer hit them with a large wooden paddle in a discipline process known as paddling.

At council's governance and priorities meeting on Monday, Mayor Clark said he had received many questions from the public on what council is doing on the file.

He said it's important for council to outline to the public exactly what powers and responsibilities they have.

"This is not a situation that lends itself to a really simple governance answer," said Clark.

"This is the only way I could think to provide that opportunity so that we're not each individually trying to respond to these complicated questions."

Former student and church member Coy Nolin made a statement to police regarding Donauer, describing an alleged paddling incident by Donauer at a church camp.

Another former student said Donauer paddled them nearly a dozen times, sometimes while the student's pants were off.

In a previous statement, Donauer declined interview requests, but denied any wrongdoing. 

"If there are rumours being shared about me, I vehemently deny any wrongdoing," he wrote in a statement to CBC News.

"If any legal claims involving me are made I will vigorously defend [against] them."

Coun. Darren Hill voted against asking for the report. He noted that Donauer had not been charged with any criminal offences and council should be careful in its statements.

"They're only allegations," said Hill.

"We are not judge, jury and executioner. And I just do not like the path that this is going on."

Councillor complaints

Any resident of the public can make a complaint about a city councillor either through the provincial ombudsman or to the city's integrity commissioner.

The city's integrity commissioner makes a report to the complainant and the councillor within 90 days of the complaint being received. If she determines that the code of ethics has been violated, she presents her findings to the governance and priorities committee in an in-camera meeting.

If the complaint is dismissed, the commissioner won't have to report to council, except as part of an annual report.

If the complaint isn't dismissed, the report will move on to city council, and would include recommended sanctions or corrective actions. Those can include a letter of reprimand, suspending or removing a councillor from committees or requiring the councillor to attend training.

The latest report is expected to return to the governance and priorities committee next month.