A cloud of animosity hangs over Saanich district council. The turmoil stems from a decision, taken before the last municipal election, to install an employee-monitoring program on district computers.
Both the intrusive nature of the software and the fact it was selectively installed on only a handful of worksites have fuelled a heated debate.
The computer program in question 鈥� Spector 360 鈥� captures every keyboard stroke, along with screen shots at 30-second intervals. It also has the power to record emails and track private information such as online banking transactions and passwords.
B.C.鈥檚 information and privacy commissioner found the software too intrusive for everyday use, and advised Saanich council to remove it. The council has complied.
But Mayor Richard Atwell, who first raised the issue, isn鈥檛 satisfied. He wants an independent investigation that would document, among other things, whose personal information was collected and what happened to it.
Council declined this proposal and settled instead for an internal staff report. Not surprisingly, perhaps, this more limited course of action has led to widespread criticism.
Appearances are often as important as fact. And the appearance here is that the same staff who installed the software are being asked to investigate what happened.
There is an additional complication that has muddied the waters. While the decision to purchase the software was taken before last November鈥檚 municipal election, it was installed only after the vote took place.
That meant an incoming administration was being tracked by software approved by the previous council. Was this merely a coincidence of timing? Or was it a covert attempt to spy on a new mayor, by councillors or staff loyal to the outgoing mayor?
This is a serious matter, all the more so because innocent explanations can be found. Staff might not have realized the full reach of the new computer program.
The privacy commissioner herself raised that possibility: 鈥淥ne day of research on the Internet and they purchased Spector 360 without using some kind of analysis.鈥�
A harmless explanation has also been offered for the selective installation of the software. The decision to proceed originated in an audit that raised fears about identity theft. The potential targets were anyone with control over district funds. Of course, that narrowed the risk to senior officials, the mayor鈥檚 office included.
However, it became apparent at an open council meeting last week that not everyone is satisfied with this version of events. Numerous speakers expressed alarm.
Atwell himself, unwittingly perhaps, might have fuelled the fire when he dismissed the district鈥檚 chief administrative officer upon being elected. The message this sent, that city managers are to be viewed as political appointees, was regrettable.
There is a traditional understanding in local government that municipal employees are public servants whose neutrality is unquestioned. The benefits of a professional, non-aligned staff far outweigh whatever comfort a new administration might feel in hiring its own people.
Moreover, once senior appointments are politicized in this manner, it becomes difficult to reverse the process. It would be unfortunate if a precedent were set that future administrations might feel compelled to follow.
Nevertheless, regardless of these considerations, it is now apparent that a thoroughly poisonous atmosphere has settled over Saanich council and its staff. This cannot be dispelled by an internal investigation, no matter how thorough it might be. Indeed, anything in the nature of an exoneration, should that emerge, will merely lead to further doubt and incredulity.
There is only one solution that meets the need. Council should bring in a well-respected, arm鈥檚-length authority with power to conduct a full-scale investigation, wherever that might lead.
At this point, nothing else will clear the air and restore a healthy work environment.
