Your city hall committee met in private and here’s why

The City Manager and City Auditor Performance Evaluation Committee, all three members, voted unanimously on May 19, 2026, to move their discussion on the City Auditor Annual Performance Review Update #1 into a private session. This, according to the official council motions, was done "pursuant to sections 20 (disclosure harmful to personal privacy) and 29 (advice from officials) of the *Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act*."

So, what does this mean for you?

* **Who was there:** Councillors Andrew Knack, Keren Tang, and Tim Cartmell are the usual suspects on this committee, though the voting record only lists "a knack, k principe, t parmar" for these specific motions.

* **The specifics:** They approved the City Auditor Annual Performance Review Process as outlined in Attachment 1 of the Office of the City Clerk report OCC03561.

* **Why it matters:** The City Auditor is effectively the internal watchdog for Edmonton’s finances and operations. Their performance review is a crucial accountability step, and while privacy concerns are legitimate, the move to a private meeting always raises a few eyebrows for those of us who like our civic processes transparent.

Honestly though, it's not unusual for personnel matters to go in camera, as they say. What you'll want to watch for is the public outcome of this review, and any subsequent changes in how our city's finances are being scrutinized. Edmonton doesn't need your approval. Never did.

Darren Fedoruk (@deepnorth_yeg)

The guys on the morning show are probably still dissecting this — catch them live at mornings.live.