At the regular meeting of council for the Village of Blacks Harbour it was business as usual, despite the COVID restrictions. Councillors ratified the hiring of one new employee, as well as the completion of a probationary period for the new town clerk Stacey Frost. A leave of absence was also approved for councillor Guy Maillet , bringing the total number of active councillors to just three after the resignations of Carolyn Breau and Adam Hatt, not including mayor Terry James and Deputy Mayor David Mahar. 

Council also recognized the resignation of town CAO David Gray, ratified the hire of a part time employment development officer, and introduced a bylaw which would establish a code of conduct for mayor and council. 

The code of conduct establishes that members of council perform their functions of office “with integrity, respect, accountability, leadership, collaboration, public interest and transparency to the best of their knowledge and ability.”

It states that council are the keepers of the public trust and should uphold the highest standards of ethical behaviour. “Members have a duty to make decisions based on the best interests of the Village of Blacks Harbour. Members are responsible for their decisions. This includes acts of commission and acts of omission. The decision-making processes of Members must be transparent.”

The code of conduct further establishes expectations of members of council regarding the use of authority, confidential information, conflict of interest, the accepting of gifts, and the use of town property and resources, and services. The bylaw also outlines a method of formal and informal complaint against members of council, and includes the use of an external investigator as well as penalties up to and including the removal of the member of council and the suspension of remuneration.