City of Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area

The Ombudsman received a complaint about the August 8, 2018 closed meeting of the board of directors for the Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area. The complaint alleged that the board’s discussion about its response to an open letter did not fit within the “personal matters” closed meeting exception in the Municipal Act, 2001. The complaint also alleged that the DIA provided insufficient notice of four meetings that occurred in the summer of 2018. The Ombudsman found that the closed session discussion did not fit within the exceptions for closed meetings set out in the Municipal Act. He also found that the DIA complied with the notice requirements in its procedure by-law, although until recently, its website provided inaccurate information about the board’s meeting schedule.

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