Emma came to our office with a complaint that the Town of Qualicum Beach had treated her unfairly by not giving her an opportunity to be heard. A telecommunications company was proposing to build a wireless communications tower on land owned by the town. Emma had requested to appear as a delegate to Council to provide her feedback but was denied, a decision she felt was arbitrary.

Through our investigation, we reviewed a number of bylaws, procedures, meeting minutes and internal staff documents and determined that the decision was indeed made arbitrarily. As a result of our investigation, the town agreed to issue Emma a formal apology and announce it publicly. The town also agreed to provide staff with enhanced training relating to delegation requests.