Council was told security hired to prevent encampments wouldn’t make arrests. One councillor is questioning why city documents say otherwise.
The city of Greater Sudbury’s document retention policy says its officials should no longer retain email, text, photos, documents and computer hard drives.
“The city does not keep records of any kind of email or text messaging, which would include cell phone messages sent or received while on duty, as well as documents or hard drives created between when they have been on duty and left,” the policy says.
The policy is part of an effort to make city staff more transparent in the public’s eye.
“It’s very important to maintain the information in a way that people can interpret it,” said city manager Bruce Dales. “If they feel like it’s there, they’ll ask for it.”
Dales said council will discuss the policy on Tuesday.
In this file photo, a van that police say was used to transport illegal protesters through the streets of Sudbury, Ont., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2016. (Lisa Xing/The Canadian Press)
There was an email from the mayor’s office and city councillor Peter Kormos asking that the city’s police chief and chief of staff be removed from email and text messages related to the protest.
But that policy still has the same wording — “do not retain any email, text or document related to that of any member of staff” — and will not be discussed by council Tuesday.
Council will also discuss whether to hire a police adviser to help with the protest.
The letter from Kormos was obtained by The Canadian Press through an access to information request.
It’s not clear why the email was written.
“I believe the councillor did not intend for it to be seen by the public,” said city manager David Peat in an interview on Tuesday.
But he said council wants to ensure staff are not writing anything that could be harmful.
“As a public service, we are bound by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.