Council Approves Bylaw Designed To Attract Younger Candidates
It may have been a move “up with the times” but it took Council just one second over five minutes to enact a parental leave bylaw for elected members.
Proposed by the remuneration committee - which gave Council percentage-wise the largest remuneration increase - Bylaw #5469 Parental Leave For Elected Members - will see new parents, both through birth or adoption, have the ability to take parental leave without the need to approve each absence.
Under the policy set out in the Bylaw elected members may take up to 20 paid weeks of leave not earlier than six weeks prior to the estimated birth or adoption of a child and not after 12 weeks from when the child was born or adopted. Council members must provide six weeks written notice before the anticipated start of parental leave.
During the first six weeks the Council member will receive full pay. Following that time the remuneration is based upon the extent of duties the Council member is prepared to take on during the parental leave.
Council unanimously approved all three readings of the Elected Members Parental Leave Bylaw - MJ Independent file photo
The schedule of leave is as follows:
a. 0% if the Member does not perform any duties during Parental Leave.
b. 30% if the Member prepares for and attends, either in person or using a communication facility, all Council meetings.
c. 25% if the Member prepares for and attends, either in person or using a communication facility, all Standing Committees.
d. 25% if the Council member prepares for and attends, either in person or using another form of electronic communication, all committees, boards, or other body meetings that the Member has been appointed to represent Council.
e. 20% if the Member attends constitutiency events and regularly responds to constitutiency matters by telephone or electronic mail.
Councillor Crystal Froese spoke in favour of the new Bylaw because it would increase the chances of people with young families or contemplating starting new families to run for Council.
“We talk a lot about modernizing things here at City Hall and this is a very important way to modernize and take away the barriers that for anybody looking to start a family from running for City Council,” Councillor Froese said.
Despite her full support of the initiative as well as phone calls in support there are a few opponents of the policy. Councillor Froese inferred that for at least one opponent they need to get with the times.
“(I had) one (phone call) from a lady who is probably from my grandmother’s generation who didn’t necessarily see it the way I saw it…I expressed to her we are long past that time when one person brought home the bacon so to speak,” she said.
“Most families are two income families and this should allow anybody who wants to run for City Council and has a young family or starting a young family to have this in place to run.”
The Bylaw had no other discussion and passed all three readings unanimously to be declared.