Complaint Letter to Mayor Blaine Hyggen, 15 March 2024

Dear Mayor Blaine Hyggen (and the City Manager and City Council)

Please accept this letter as a formal complaint about your recent public behaviour directed at me. It is unbecoming an elected official and not befitting a person of authority or public trust. I request a public apology and that you refrain from unprovoked public attacks. 

I contend that you, Mayor Hyggen, have violated two sections of the City of Lethbridge Code of Conduct(Bylaw 6125), which you have sworn to uphold as part of your responsibilities (S.7.2).

8.2. Members shall treat one another, employees of the City and members of the public with courtesy, dignity and respect and without abuse, bullying or intimidation.

8.3. No Member shall use indecent, abusive, or insulting words or expressions toward another Member, any employees of the City or any member of the public (my highlighted emphases).

I unambiguously seek a public apology for your use of disinformation and your abuse, bullying, intimidation, and the use of indecent, abusive, or insulting words or expressions toward a member of the public (me).

Context

On 22 February 2024, upon request, I was invited to speak to the City of Lethbridge Governance Standing Policy Committee (SPC). In less than five minutes, I expressed my concerns about the City’s indiscriminate approach to bylaw interpretation and implementation regarding the anticipated appointment of two public members to the newly formed Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force (LRTF).

The next day (February 23), the Lethbridge Herald printed a front-page, below-the-fold story entitled “City solicitor to examine Downtown Lawlessness Task Force terms of reference.”  (APPENDIX A) You were quoted as saying: 

“And then today it kind of comes to a pause because those that want to stop the good work that’s being done don’t want to be part of the solution but want to remain part of the problem by sitting behind a keyboard and complaining about the great work that’s being done by this committee. That’s the biggest frustration because it’s going to take forever to try to get anything done because of those who are creating roadblocks.”

“But they have no problem complaining behind the scenes and it creates issues of trying to create a safe community when we have those who aren’t supportive of the great work being done, especially by this committee.”

“It’s already tough to find people to sit on committees and yet the ones that volunteer their times to sit on the committees get ridiculed by the ones that want to sit on their keyboards and complain. And we’re going to end up losing the good volunteers that we have because of that.” (my highlighted emphases)

In these passages, reflecting on the Code of Conduct’s applicable sections, you did not treat a member of the public (me) with courtesy, dignity, and respect and without abuse, bullying, or intimidation. Nor did you refrain from using abusive or insulting words or expressions toward a member of the public (me).

There are several concerns with your commentary. I will deal with the following:

1. I, an unelected official, am being blamed for the city’s lack of progress (unelaborated).
2. I, an unelected official, am accused of creating roadblocks to success (unelaborated).
3. I am complaining behind the scenes. 
4. You intimated that I am unsupportive of creating a safe community.
5. I was publicly accused of ridiculing volunteers.
6. My suggested participation in this public ridicule has led to diminishing civic participation in public committees.

Regarding points 1 and 2, as an unelected official and a member of the public, I hold no position of power that would permit me to influence any decisions City Councillors may or may not make. It is, therefore, absurd to suggest that the City’s lack of progress (in any regard) is my fault or that I possess the authority to fashion roadblocks to that success. Yet, I have been publicly accused. 

This raises significant concerns regarding the dangers associated with politicians targeting public members. Instilling fear and intimidation can potentially jeopardize my safety and well-being and undermine the democratic process. 

On a lighter but equally important note regarding points 3 and 4, I am uncertain how my public presentation that you attended, Mayor Hyggen, constitutes my complaining “behind the scenes”? You were seated roughly 5 meters to my left. One may watch my public presentation on the City of Lethbridge webpage or YouTube™. Secondly, when and where can I be quoted as saying or have I written that I do not want to create a safe community? I cannot. 

The last two points (5 & 6) underscore the more ominous tone of your public comments. I have attached my statement for your review, which shows that I did not ridicule anyone. (APPENDIX B) Though I was critical of the City’s failure to ensure good governance through transparency and accountability, you publicly accused me of ridiculing volunteers. 

Accusing someone of ridiculing another can have far-reaching consequences, affecting political discourse, public trust, and, once again, even posing physical threats to individuals.

It is also far-fetched for you to suggest that my civic participation (which occurs in many forms) has led to an evident drop in volunteerism. Please note the irony of lamenting Lethbridge’s loss of civic spirit as you publicly attack my civic involvement in an apparent attempt to muzzle my voice.

Your statements are impactful, Mayor Hyggen. Public commentary on the Lethbridge Herald Letters to the Editor public website and a ‘Roast and Toast’ submission have identified me as attacking public volunteers. Additional comments on Reddit echo your public statements. At the 14 March LRTF meeting, a member of the public made the following public statement: “Don’t have somebody who sits in their ivory tower coming [sic] down and saying you guys are out of line; you’re not doing it right.”

More to the point, your words motivating these and anticipated responses are disinformation you have willfully spread if you are honest about what I presented to the SPC. Yet none of the ideas in my statement were mentioned during your interview with the Lethbridge Herald. 

Disinformation is a specific type of misinformation deliberately created and spread with the intent to deceive and manipulate others. It is often used for political or ideological purposes, influencing opinions or amplifying confusion and distrust. As illustrated, disinformation can be spread through various channels, including social media, traditional media, and word of mouth.

Your comments amount to unfair characterizations, which a reasonably well-informed person could interpret as a public official’s attempts to character-assassinate a member of the public. 

Mayor Hyggen, you have violated the City of Lethbridge’s Code of Conduct (Bylaw 6125) while spreading disinformation that can potentially transition into dangerous disinformation. This is reckless behaviour unbecoming an elected official and not befitting a person of authority or public trust.

Corrective 

To the City Manager, the Mayor, and the City Council, my concerns are valid and substantiated. I have confirmed that Mayor Blaine Hyggen has (1) violated two sections of the Code of Conduct, which he has sworn to uphold as part of his responsibilities, while further demonstrating these actions as unbecoming an elected public official that have the potential to harm my reputation and well-being, indicating that (2) a public apology is warranted. 

The Mayor, the City Manager, and the City Council are being asked to correct the identified public breach of the City of Lethbridge Code of Conduct (Bylaw 6125). In due course, Mayor Blaine Hyggen must publicly acknowledge that he contravened sections 8.2 and 8.3. Furthermore, Mayor Blaine Hyggen must take this time to publicly correct the disinformation he willfully spread on 23 February 2024. 

Citing Due Prominence, a public apology should be published in the Lethbridge Herald (front page, below the fold) to ensure it is addressed to the same reading audience. Further, it must contain three specific elements.

• Admission and recognition of wrongdoing.
• Apology for the grief this has caused, with a promise to refrain from similar behaviours.
• City Council’s recommitment to the City of Lethbridge Code of Conduct. Evidence of this recommitment should involve holding a ½-day workshop where councillors are re-oriented to the Code of Conduct’s criteria, importance, and substance, as well as the critical elements of the City of Lethbridge’s conflict of interest policy (S.10). 

This is an acceptable remedy. 

To conclude, Mayor Hyggen, on 12 March 2024, you stated before the City Council and roughly 100 people in attendance, “I just would ask that we … treat others with respect regardless of our beliefs or opinions.” A public apology would show good faith while giving substance to your words.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any other questions or concerns. Please note that I retain the right to post this complaint letter to my WordPress website for public viewing. 

Yours truly,

Dr. Yale D. Belanger

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Dr. Yale Belanger is a Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Lethbridge. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. Dr. Belanger is a vocal proponent of improved First Nations (reserve) and urban Indigenous housing and the end of homelessness. In this capacity, he is a member of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH), an editorial board member for the Australia Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), and a former member of the Alberta Homelessness Research Consortium (AHRC).