MOOSE JAW — City council has used an in-house administrative review officer to handle residents’ complaints for 22 years, but it has decided to eliminate that role and use the provincial ombudsman instead.
During its Feb. 10 regular meeting, council gave three unanimous readings to Bylaw No. 5728, which repeals Bylaw No. 5200, the bylaw that allowed the City of Moose Jaw to establish an administrative review body for the municipality.
Council established the administrative review officer (ARO) role in 2003 because, at that time, The Cities Act required municipalities to create a review body, a council report explained. However, amendments to the act in 2007 gave cities the option to have an administrative review person, while in 2015, Saskatchewan’s municipal sector was added to the Ombudsman Saskatchewan’s jurisdiction.
The City of Moose Jaw’s recent two-year agreement with ARO Saundra Arberry expired on Dec. 31, 2024.
City hall initially established the ARO position to provide an independent review of administrative decisions to ensure fairness and accountability with the organization’s processes, the report said. However, a recent review revealed that the Ombudsman Saskatchewan is already fulfilling a similar function and provides “a comparable level of oversight and operates effectively, rendering the role of the ARO redundant.”
Residents can file complaints with the Ombudsman’s office if they believe there is a discrepancy in how city hall has addressed a matter, while there is no fee to submit a complaint to the office, the document continued.
“(Using) the Ombudsman’s services removes the administrative burden of co-ordinating the complaint process, allowing an impartial entity to oversee the investigation,” the report stated.
Since the ARO and Ombudsman address similar issues, having two separate mechanisms to handle the same function “not only results in redundant efforts but also strains organizational resources” that could be better used elsewhere, the document added.
Moose Jaw’s administrative review officer has handled only two cases during the past five years, with both issues related to how council handled the joint-use school on South Hill. Both times, Arberry found that the concerns were unfounded.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Feb. 24.
