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Councillor Kjeryn Dakin files lawsuit against Town of Sylvan Lake

Councillor Kjeryn Dakin is suing the Town of Sylvan Lake, CAO Sean Durkin and Mayor Megan Hanson
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Sylvan Lake councillor Kjeryn Dakin is suing the Town of Sylvan Lake, CAO Sean Durkin, and Mayor Megan Hanson. Kjeryn Dakin / Submitted photo

Town of Sylvan Lake councillor Kjeryn Dakin is suing the Town, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Sean Durkin, and Mayor Megan Hanson. 

The lawsuit relates to the October 2023 sanctioning of councillor Dakin under the Town’s Code of Conduct Bylaw.

The Code of Conduct review began after formal complaints were received about councillor Dakin’s behaviour from community members.

Upon the Town finishing the review process, councillor Dakin was asked to apologize for her behaviour that breached the Code of Conduct and was required to complete two online training courses.

On Thursday, Oct. 3, a day before news of the lawsuit became public, Dakin wrote a public statement on her Facebook page about her reasons for the lawsuit. 

"The Code of Conduct is a real issue all across Alberta. The way it is set up currently divides councils and it is set up to be a weapon for council to use against each other," Dakin said. 

The Code of Conduct is used to benefit the political platform of only one or two people who don't like the way another member of council may argue against said platform, she added.

"In my situation, the Code of Conduct was leveraged and was dragged on for an incredibly long time, unnecessarily to get to the same conclusion I had already agreed to at the very beginning. Instead of moving forward with the decision it continued to drag on at the taxpayer's expense and mine."

Throughout the process of the Code of Conduct investigation putting up a defence was impossible, Dakin said. 

"I should never be shamed or ashamed for being honest about how dark of a space I was in last year that I managed to climb myself out of. I am very strong again but I was not ok from how long it dragged out at the town, how terribly it was handled, and how terribly I was treated."

"It's not ok that others benefited from trying to bring me down. My family suffered, and my business suffered. I am not afraid to fight for you and I am not afraid to fight for myself. It's ok not to be ok. I just want to get back to focusing on the needs of my community which is exactly where I'm at," she added.

For Dakin, the goal of the suit is not about money but to have a real conversation about the Code of Conduct. 

"It needs to be handled by an impartial third party. It must be removed from council's hands and it can not be used as a weapon to have someone who doesn't agree with the way you fight for your community member's issues, be used against you."

On Sept. 6 2024 the Town of Sylvan Lake, Mayor Hanson, and CAO Durken filed a Statement of Defence in response to the lawsuit filed by Dakin in the Alberta Court of King's Bench. 

The Defendants deny all allegations in councillor Dakin's Statement of Claim, Communications Officer Jared Waldo said.

"The Town acted appropriately, following due process under the Municipal Government Act of Alberta and the Town’s Code of Conduct Bylaw. The Town of Sylvan Lake, Mayor Hanson, and CAO Durkin will respect the court process and will refrain from further public comment on the matter." 



Sarah Baker

About the Author: Sarah Baker

I joined Black Press in March 2023 and am looking forward to sharing stories about the local communities.
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