The Ombudsman investigated a meeting of council for the Regional Municipality of Niagara on December 7, 2017. While the council meeting was ongoing, the main outside doors to the Regional headquarters were locked. The Ombudsman found that although the later part of the meeting was intended to be open to the public, the locked doors prevented those members of the public arriving late from accessing the last 35 minutes of the meeting. As a result, the last part of the meeting was closed to the public, interfering with its right to observe municipal government in process. The Ombudsman noted that in future, the Region should take steps to develop a clear policy on when the doors to the municipal building should be locked and unlocked to ensure public access during meetings, and train its staff accordingly.