The Town of Battleford has quietly dropped the idea of bringing in criminal record checks for the 2012 civic election.
Members of town council received the information about the idea at their Monday council meeting. But there was no vote taken on the issue and no plans to introduce a new bylaw that would require the record checks for the coming election.
The possibility of bringing in criminal record checks has been an issue contemplated at both Battleford and North Battleford councils in the past few weeks. The discussion was prompted by recent provisions under the Cities Act that allowed councils to bring in a bylaw that would require candidates to disclose whether they had a criminal record when filing nomination papers.
Like the proposal considered recently in North Battleford, any bylaw would have simply forced candidates to disclose publicly whether they had a criminal record, and would not have prevented those with criminal records from running for office. As well, such a bylaw would have needed to be passed and in place 90 days before the election.
During the discussion Monday, it was noted few communities were adopting criminal record checks for the coming election. Councillor Susan McLean-Tady did note, however, that some boards required the checks.
While Battleford town council discussed the idea of record checks and voted unanimously to receive the information at the meeting, that was as far as the discussion went.
Councillors confirmed after the meeting there were no plans to bring in a bylaw requiring the record checks, settling the issue in Battleford for this election.
