The Ombudsman reviewed a closed meeting held by council for the Town of Moosonee to receive information from a municipal advisor from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The meeting was closed under the education or training exception. During the closed session, the municipal advisor reviewed a letter from the minister and discussed the terms of a funding arrangement offered by the ministry to the municipality. The Ombudsman found that the discussion did not fit within the education or training exception because the information relayed to council was not general in nature, and related to matters that directly affected the business of the municipality.
Town of Moosonee, September 9, 2014
Read the LetterThe Ombudsman reviewed a special meeting held by council for the Town of Moosonee. Notice was provided on a bulletin board. The procedure by-law requires that notice of all meetings be provided on the bulletin board as well as a local community TV channel. The Ombudsman found that notice of the special meeting was not provided on the community TV channel because of a lack of time. The Ombudsman found that the municipality failed to provide notice in accordance with the procedure by-law. The Ombudsman recommended that the procedure by-law address notice requirements for special meetings specifically. The Ombudsman also recommended that short-notice meetings be called only in the case of a genuine emergency in order to maximize public knowledge of and attendance at the meeting.