Township of Prince

Township of Prince

January 4, 2023

4 January 2023

The Ombudsman reviewed two complaints about an emergency closed meeting held by council for the Township of Prince on March 15, 2022.

The Ombudsman reviewed two complaints about an emergency closed meeting held by council for the Township of Prince on March 15, 2022. The Ombudsman determined that the Township of Prince did not contravene the open meeting rules in the Municipal Act, 2001 when it discussed matters in camera on March 15, 2022, as council’s discussions fit within both the exceptions for personal matters about an identifiable individual and solicitor-client privilege. However, the Ombudsman found that the Township contravened its procedural by-law and the Act’s open meeting requirements when it failed to make a reasonable effort to provide public notice of the meeting. Finally, the Ombudsman found that even though the Township resolved to appoint a temporary Clerk for this meeting, it did not pass a confirming by-law to ratify this resolution.

This link opens in a new tabRead the letter (accessible PDF)