City council won't rush to any decisions on what to do, if anything, following the conviction of Coun. Brian Skakun Tuesday morning.
Mayor Dan Rogers held a brief media conference Tuesday afternoon to address Skakun's conviction for releasing confidential city documents to the media.
"It will take some to access the [court] rendering and go through it," Rogers said. "City council will take the necessary time to assess the case and digest it. It's totally up to council what action, if any, it takes."
Rogers said it was too early to tell if council will call for his resignation.
When asked if such discussions would be held in a public meeting, Rogers said council will follow rules set out by the Community Charter.
And it will be up to Skakun to determine if he believes taking part in those discussions would be a conflict of interest, Rogers added.
"There is nothing precluding councillor Skakun from participating as a full member of council," Rogers said. "That means he gets to participate in all decisions of council on all matters, including this one."
In the meantime, he said, there is nothing in the Community Charter which prohibits Skakun from continuing on council.
"Councillor Skakun was elected by the people of Prince George. For all intents and purposes, it is business as usual," Rogers said.
Skakun will continue to have full access to all documents available to all other members of council.
Following the conviction, Skakun told media he has no intention of resigning from council, and he will stand again for election in November.
And if the support he received on the courthouse steps following the judgment is any indication - he received public donations to help pay his fine - Skakun may very well be in office past the November election.
Rogers broke his silence on the impact the case has had on the city.
"This proceeding has definitely occupied a tremendous amount of staff and council time," he said. "Any time you get a matter before the courts there is preparation of materials, time spent in court. We have done no work to determine what that cost is. I'd estimate it's in the tens of thousands."
The loss of trust from the public and city employees has been equally harmful, he said.
"We need trust in order to conduct the business that we are elected to conduct," Rogers said. "We have a legal obligation to protect the information of the people who work for us."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development said the ministry will review the case and determine if there is implications for local government officials.
A spokesperson for the Union of B.C. Municipalities could not be reached for comment as of press time.
