The role of Advisory Committees is to review applications brought forward by municipal staff and to make appropriate recommendations to Council.  Members of such Committees must, and must be seen to, act with integrity to ensure continued confidence in the process.  It is also a matter of law that members not allow themselves to become involved in conflict of interest situations.  The principal duty of a member of a Central Saanich Committee is to act as a trustee for the community.  Members should actively avoid gaining, or appearing to gain, private advantage from matters about which they have privileged information, or about which they are asked to comment and advise.

Members of Advisory Committees should make every effort to approach each issue with an open mind.  As each matter comes before a Committee, members should decide for themselves whether the application might directly affect them or anyone close to them in a property, business, financial, or personal aspect.  If a number of Committee members would be similarly affected in this situation then their acting on the matter would probably not result in a conflict of interest.

Where a member has a conflict of interest he/she should declare it to the Committee Chairperson before the application comes to the table.  The Chairperson shall then report the conflict in writing to Council as part of the Committee Report.  That individual should refrain from commenting during the discussion and voting on the matter.

Committee members shall have all the opportunities of other members of the community to speak at meetings and hearings on any issue as long as they identify themselves as individual citizens, rather than as representing the opinion or position of the Committee.

All media enquiries should be referred to and handled by the Chairperson, unless specifically designated to another Committee member by the Chairperson.