Coquitlam backs steeper fines for developers and mental health supports for elected officials

For developers who violate city bylaws, a $500 fine just doesn’t cut it anymore, according to Coquitlam council.

The need for steeper fines is largely due to the fact that the current maximum penalty of $500 is too slight to be an “adequate deterrent” to developers, according to a city staff report.

However, previous efforts to mete out harsher punishments have been unsuccessful, as the province has been: “unwilling to meaningfully consider this change,” according to city staff.

Council is asking for the fine be bumped up to $3,000 – one of three requests the city is planning to take to the province.

Those three resolutions are now slated to be considered at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in September. The UBCM is designed to allow municipalities speak with one voice and to more effectively lobby the province.

Council also advocated for the province to provide mental health supports for local government officials, in part due to some unique and unfortunate features of the job, said Mayor Richard Stewart.

“People don’t realize that elected officials like city council members are among the only persons in B.C. that have paid employment that aren’t considered as employees under WorkSafeBC, they’re not covered by the Employment Standards Act,” he said. “We don’t carry those rights.”

Besides the requirements of the job, elected official can also face considerable stress due to constant public scrutiny.

“The rise in vitriol and personal attacks in public dialogue exacerbates the mental health strain on elected officials and can lead to significant mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and burnout,” according to the staff report. However, mayors and city councils, particularly in smaller communities, “frequently lack the resources to provide adequate mental health support for their officials.”

However, the province could provide specialized resources which would help elected officials while helping normalize “the pursuit of support,” according to the city staff report.

The resolution is also being considered by other council in B.C., Stewart noted, adding the motion originated with Local Leaders for Mental Health, a group he co-founded.

Council is also pushing for more flexibility in scheduling school board byelections, due to possible conflicts as well as setting a voting date that maximizes voter turnout.

City council unanimously approved all three resolutions.