City of Hamilton

The Ombudsman received a complaint that the doors to Hamilton city hall were locked during part of a meeting of council on February 14, 2019, and that the doors to city hall were barricaded during part of a meeting of the city’s Audit, Finance and Administration Committee on April 18, 2019. The city confirmed that the doors were locked and barricaded in error, and that it took prompt action to ensure the doors were open and accessible when the issue was brought to staff’s attention. The city has since adopted a formal procedure that requires security staff to confirm that all public meetings have ended before locking or blocking city hall doors. The city has also taken steps to ensure that security staff are aware of all meetings taking place at city hall outside normal office hours. The Ombudsman commended the city for adopting a formal procedure to ensure public access to all meetings at city hall, and encouraged the city to ensure that all staff are informed of the new procedure.

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