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Our Office found that Howick Township Council contravened the open meeting requirements when it met behind closed doors to discuss changes to a proposed agreement between the Township and the local Agricultural Society.

The Ombudsman reviewed meetings held by Council for the Town of South Bruce Peninsula between January and March 2011, and found several violations of the open meeting provisions.

Our Office found that Council for the Township of Georgian Bay contravened the open meeting requirements when it met with a local association representing the interests of cottagers.

The Ombudsman found that the Town of Amherstburg improperly held a vote during an emergency closed meeting in February 2011 regarding rescinding naming rights for a local recreation complex from a convicted sex offender.

The Ombudsman found that Sault Ste. Marie’s Agenda Setting Review Committee, comprised of three council members and two municipal employees, was obligated to comply with the open meeting requirements of the Municipal Act.

The Ombudsman received a complaint alleging that the Town of Kearney’s newly elected council improperly held closed meetings on November 5 and November 26, 2010.

The Ombudsman determined that the Town of Mattawa’s Ad Hoc Heritage Committee held a series of improperly closed meetings.

The Ombudsman determined that the council of the Town of South Bruce discussed a topic in closed session in September 2009 that was not properly identified in the resolution authorizing the meeting. The investigation also determined that unhealthy tensions existed at that time on council that contributed to its failure to comply with the open meetings law.

The Ombudsman found Baldwin Township council contravened the open meeting requirements of the Municipal Act in July 2008 and recommended several changes to its practices and procedure by-law.

The Ombudsman found an Oshawa council committee improperly met behind closed doors in May 2008 in an “education and training” session with representatives of a recycling company that had been the subject of odour complaints. 

L’Ombudsman a découvert que le conseil du canton de Nipissing s’est indûment réuni à huis clos contrairement aux dispositions de la Loi sur les municipalités le 25 avril 2008.

The Ombudsman found that the Township of Enniskillen council considered a land acquisition in closed session, which is permitted, but the resolution authorizing the closed meeting was vague and other topics were discussed that could not legally be dealt with in a closed meeting.

The Ombudsman found that Fort Erie council did nothing wrong when it met behind closed doors on January 7, 2008 for an “education and training session.” However, in the interest of furthering transparency in local government, the Ombudsman recommended that council give more detail about such meetings in advance.

On April 21, 2008, my Office received a complaint about a closed meeting held by the council of the Township of Emo on April 8, 2008. The complainant alleged that after the adjournment of the regular meeting of council on that date, council held an unauthorized in-camera meeting with members of the Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Inc. (Abattoir Inc.) to discuss matters related to the abattoir project planned for the Township.

The Ombudsman warned Sudbury councillors that their closed-door meeting regarding the city’s Elton John concert ticket scandal was close to the legal line.

The Ombudsman found that the City of Greater Sudbury did not contravene the open meeting requirements during meetings on October 3 and 12, November 9 and December 14, 2011, during which a personal matter related to an identifiable individual was discussed. However, he did strongly criticize council members for their reluctance to co-operate with the investigative process.

Investigation into whether members of Council for the City of London held an improper closed meeting on February 23, 2013. The Ombudsman concluded that an illegal closed meeting occurred on February 23, 2013, in violation of the Municipal Act, 2001.

The Ombudsman found that the City of Hamilton held two improperly closed sessions on June 27, 2011, during which the dissolution of the Board of Directors of Hamilton Entertainment Convention Facilities Inc., as well as a grant request from McMaster University, were discussed.

Ombudsman's Message - The Multipurpose Ombudsman The stories in this report, arising from the 19,726 cases we received in 2012-2013, demonstrate how my Office uses a variety of tools to resolve individual and systemic concerns. Picture a “Swiss Army”-style knife with all sorts of useful accountability gadgets: A barometer, a horsefly, an oil can, a safety valve and more.

Ombudsman’s Message - Reaching new heights This year has been an exceptional one for my Office, for both the sheer volume of public complaints and systemic investigations that we managed, and the historic progress that was achieved towards modernizing our mandate.