The Township of Alberton has a requirement that all members of the public attending its open council meetings, whether in person or virtually, must identify themselves for the purpose of the minutes. Our Office received a complaint from a person who was removed from the Township’s May 11, 2022 hybrid council meeting because they refused to identify themselves on Zoom. The Ombudsman concluded that by removing this person from the meeting on May 11, 2022, the Township contravened the open meeting rules. Municipalities have an obligation to ensure that members of the public can freely access and observe open meetings and must be careful about placing conditions on their ability to do so. Under the Municipal Act, 2001, it is council that has the obligation and responsibility of transparency, not members of the public who attend to observe open meetings.