‘We should be as open as possible’
Nenshi vows better information release in wake of Logan’s payout secrecy
Information that can be disclosed under provincial privacy laws should not be held confidential by the city, council members said Monday.
After Postmedia reported former transportation boss Mac Logan received a $471,596 payout last year following his abrupt departure, some questioned why the financial details weren’t released sooner.
“If we look at something and we say, ‘Is this going to get released anyway?’ Then release it, for golly’s sake,” said Coun. Peter Demong.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he would not address the specifics of Logan’s case, but agreed the city should “proactively ” release more information.
“My general philosophy is that we should be as open as possible with everything,” Nenshi said.
“If people have to make freedom of information requests, I always suggest, just ask first and if it’s something that can be released, we’re happy to release it. And we should do a better job on proactively releasing things as well.”
Media had repeatedly asked city administration about the terms of Logan’s departure once it became known the former general manager of transportation had reached an agreement with the city on Dec. 8, 2017.
Reporters asking if severance was paid to Logan were previously told it was a “personnel matter” and that no further information could be released.
Internal correspondence from last January, obtained by Postmedia, shows city communications staff scrambling to come up with messaging to explain the confidentiality, given that in some previous cases such settlements were disclosed.
However, the city’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Office disagreed: a FOIP request filed by Postmedia returned details about the severance paid to Logan, though the reason for Logan’s resignation was redacted.
While several councillors said they felt that the dollar figure should have been disclosed sooner, there was not the same consensus on releasing the reason that Logan exited from the job so suddenly.
“I think many people will wonder many things,” Nenshi said Monday. “But there are also laws and ethics and morals and how you treat people.”