Okotoks Civility Charter

1. All residents feel that their constructive input and opinions have been respectfully heard
2. All Town of Okotoks employees, elected officials, volunteers, contractors, and business partners are treated respectfully, fairly and with honesty and dignity when undertaking work with and on behalf of the Town.
3. Town employees, all residents and business owners feel included in understanding community issues and have the opportunity to actively participate in decisions that affect the whole community.

Individuals can expect to be treated courteously and with respect when visiting any Town facility or doing business with the Town. In return anyone interacting with Town staff, volunteers, contractors or elected officials is expected to be respectful. The following are acceptable behaviours:

• Respectful communication with the Town and other members of the public in all forms of communication including in-person, over the phone, virtually, or via the website or social media
• Requests for clarification about matters or services affecting the Town and its residents, businesses, ratepayers and customers
• Requests for service
• Sharing our social media and website content; solutions-focused feedback: we focus on issues, not people
• Solution-focused feedback; we focus on issues, not people
• Reporting communications that do not conform to this code of conduct

Individuals can expect to be treated courteously and with respect when visiting any Town facility or doing business with the Town. In return anyone interacting with Town staff, volunteers, contractors or elected officials is expected to be respectful. Inappropriate behaviour, including vexatious  or uncivil behaviour, will not be tolerated and staff will take appropriate actions to maintain a respectful workplace. 

This includes any dialogue or behaviour between residents, Town representatives, and elected officials where there is:

• Intimidation, bullying, humiliation, coercion or abuse of authority either in person or through email, online platforms, and other correspondence
• Yelling or shouting during one-on-one meetings or interactions either in-person or over the phone 
• Destruction or defacing of Town property or those of employees and elected officials
• Harassment  of any members of staff, Council, or other members of the public including bullying, name-calling, intimidation, retaliation, sexual harassment, coercion, innuendo or humiliation
• Threats directed toward any person or organization
• Language that is vulgar, aggressive, coarse, violent, obscene, pornographic, or culturally insensitive
• Discrimination against any other member of the community for any reason, such as any comments or messages that are racist, sexist, homophobic, slanderous, or insulting 
• Perpetuating misinformation or innuendo that attempts to discredit others 
• Humour that is degrading, demeaning, embarrassing, or insulting

In-person or by phone:

• If a member of the public believes staff are violating this Civility charter: request the contact information for the employee’s supervisor and contact the supervisor to work through the issue together
• If a member of staff believes a member(s) of the public is violating this civility charter, anyone violating this civility policy will be notified of the violation and asked to discontinue the behaviour. If the behaviour does not cease, the person(s) may be asked to leave the premises or the call may be ended.
• When there is repeated unacceptable behaviour:
  • the person(s) may be banned from the premises for a period of time; or
  • the person's inquiry may not be responded to and no further calls will be accepted in regard to this issue.
• Where communication is of a violent, threatening or illegal nature, police may be called and/or legal action may be taken.

Social Media

• Comments that violate the civility charter or those that are unintelligible or irrelevant will be removed at the Town’s discretion.
• When there is repeated unacceptable behaviour, the user will be blocked from the page.
• Where communication is of a violent, threatening or illegal nature, police may be called and/or legal action may be taken.

Written communication (emails, letters etc)

• If a member of the public believes staff are violating this Civility Charter: request the contact information for the employee’s supervisor and contact the supervisor to work through the issue together.
• If a member of staff believes a member(s) of the public is violating this civility charter, the staff member’s response should outline the details of the violation and be copied to the staff member’s supervisor. If the behaviour is repeated, the correspondence should be forwarded to the staff member’s supervisor, who will respond to the correspondence. After the third violation, a letter will be issued by the Town CAO. 
• Where communication is of a violent, threatening or illegal nature, police may be called and/or legal action may be taken.
   

Change has been the one constant in our community for more than 10 years. The anxiety and concern residents have felt about how quickly the town has been growing, and the rapidity of that change, has been intensified with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

There has been a growing trend to channel this passion into angry and negative public dialogue where Town of Okotoks staff and elected officials are being routinely exposed to unacceptable behaviour. This also extends to the dialogue between residents where there is a lack of respect for differing opinions. 

Increasingly, people are closing their hearts and minds to critical thinking and the embrace of cultural differences.

Rebuilding civil discourse is essential to a strong community.  Civility means being a good citizen. Civility and good manners are about how we treat one another in everyday life. And how we treat one another determines the strength of our society. If we cannot be civil, our quality of life deteriorates, our communities begin to fray and democracy is weakened. A strong community is one where all opinions, thoughts and feelings are appreciated and allowed to be heard. 

Community Connector

Council is seeking to continue strengthening the relationship and linkage between Okotoks Town Council, the owners of the Town, and the policy-making process. Ownership linkage in Okotoks is called the Okotoks Council Community Connector. View the policy

During a Community Connector event in April, 2021, Council shared their vision for a connected, involved community:

Community Building Presentation