Skip to main content
Ombudsman Ontario Home

Ombudsman Ontario

Secondary navigation

  • About us
  • Contact us
  • News
  • Careers
Français
Français

Main navigation

  • Make a complaint
    • What you can expect
    • What we can help you with
    • File your complaint
    • Frequently asked questions
  • Help for…
    • Indigenous people
    • Children, youth and families
    • French speakers
  • Our work
    • Case stories
    • Investigations
    • Annual reports
    • Municipal meetings
    • Submissions to government
    • Brochures, posters and resources
    • Outreach and engagement
  • Info for public bodies and officials
    • What to expect if we contact you
    • Members of Provincial Parliament
    • Provincial government
    • Municipal government
    • Services for children and youth
    • Services for French speakers
    • School boards
    • Training and education
    • Questions and inquiries

Main navigation

  • Make a complaint
    • What you can expect
    • What we can help you with
    • File your complaint
    • Frequently asked questions
  • Help for…
    • Indigenous people
    • Children, youth and families
    • French speakers
  • Our work
    • Case stories
    • Investigations
    • Annual reports
    • Municipal meetings
    • Submissions to government
    • Brochures, posters and resources
    • Outreach and engagement
  • Info for public bodies and officials
    • What to expect if we contact you
    • Members of Provincial Parliament
    • Provincial government
    • Municipal government
    • Services for children and youth
    • Services for French speakers
    • School boards
    • Training and education
    • Questions and inquiries

Secondary navigation

  • About us
  • Contact us
  • News
  • Careers
Ombudsman Ontario Home

Ombudsman Ontario

Français

Our forms will be down for maintenance on Saturday, June 28 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. You can still make a complaint or contact us by emailing info@ombudsman.on.ca. Thank you for your patience.

  1. Info for public bodies and officials
  2. Municipal government
  3. Open meetings: Case digest
  4. Municipalities and local boards
  5. Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport Commission (previously NCAC)

Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport Commission (previously NCAC)

Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport Commission, May 19, 2023

Read the Report
Procedure by-law
local board
airport

An airport commission, which is a joint local board of four municipalities, did not have a procedure by-law. The Municipal Act requires that every local board pass a procedure by-law, and the Ombudsman found that failing to adopt a procedure by-law is a contravention of the Act. 

Minutes
minutes (best practices)
minutes (lack of)
airport

An airport commission held several closed meetings where it neglected to keep minutes or the minutes did not contain accurate and complete details about the discussion. The Ombudsman noted that minutes do not need to record a verbatim transcript of the discussion, but should capture the substance of all matters considered. The Ombudsman also recommends audio or video recording all open and closed sessions, for a complete record.

Notice
notice (lack of)
airport

An airport commission indicated on its website that meetings were to take place on the second Thursday of each month, September through June, which the Ombudsman found is sufficient to provide the public with notice of meetings that occur on a regular schedule. However, a meeting in April 2021 took place on a Friday, and the Ombudsman found that the commission could not provide evidence to show its website had been updated to advise the public of this change.

239(2)(k) Plans and instructions for negotiations
airport
financial information

The Ombudsman found that a closed session discussion held by an airport commission fit within the “negotiations” exception. The airport commission was in negotiations with a third party about future business development. During the discussion, the airport commission assessed whether to accept a financial agreement as proposed and determined a course of action with respect to the ongoing negotiations.

vote (illegal)
airport

The Ombudsman received a complaint that an airport commission voted improperly during a closed meeting. During the closed session, the commission reached a consensus to accept and approve a financial agreement. Reaching a consensus is considered to be a vote for the purposes of the open meeting rules. The Ombudsman found that the discussion was properly closed under the exceptions to the open meeting rules, however, the vote was not for a procedural matter or a direction to staff. Accordingly, the vote was not permitted.  

Niagara Central Airport Commission, September 20, 2013

Read the Letter
Procedure by-law
local board
airport

The Ombudsman reviewed a meeting held by the Niagara Central Airport Commission. The Ombudsman found that the Niagara Central Airport Commission is a local board subject to the open meeting rules. The Ombudsman recommended that the Commission enact a procedure by-law governing meetings in accordance with the Municipal Act, 2001.

Note:

  • You will not receive a direct reply.  Please do not include any personal information, such as your name, address, information about your complaint, or case number.
  • For general questions and complaints, please contact us here.

The Ontario Ombudsman’s work takes place on traditional Indigenous territories across the province we now call Ontario, and we are thankful to be able to work and live on this land. 

Ombudsman Ontario Home

Ombudsman Ontario

483 Bay Street
10th floor, South Tower
Toronto, ON M5G 2C9

Toll-free (Ontario only): 1-800-263-1830
Outside Ontario: 416-586-3300
info@ombudsman.on.ca

Footer menu

  • Make a complaint
  • Help for...
  • Our work
  • About us
  • Careers

Make a complaint

  • Info for public bodies and officials
  • News

Footer buttons

  • Sign up for our newsletter
  • Contact us

Follow us

All contents © 2025 Ombudsman Ontario. All rights reserved.

Footer Utility

  • Site map
  • Accessibility