The Ombudsman concluded that a gathering of 12 council members in the City Hall cafeteria between meetings on June 24, 2014 - prior to a vote to fill a vacant council seat the next day - did not violate the open meeting requirements of the Municipal Act, 2001 .
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2014/city-of-london-turning-tables
Working with school boards to resolve complaints
/resources/news/in-the-news/2017/the-role-of-the-ombudsman-(opc-register)
We received a complaint that council for the City of Port Colborne held illegal meetings on March 8, 2010, January 27, 2014, and December 8, 2014. Our review found that the council discussions on March 8, 2010 fit within the exceptions for acquisition or disposition of land a...
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2015/city-of-port-colborne
The Ombudsman received a complaint that council for the City of Timmins held two illegal closed session discussions on August 8, 2016 and August 29, 2016, about the City’s Canada Day 150 Celebrations. The Ombudsman determined that council contravened the Municipal Act when ...
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2017/city-of-timmins
Council for the City of Timmins contravened the Municipal Act on December 19, 2016 when it met in camera with a representative of Northern College to discuss a proposed development agreement with the college. The discussion between council and college’s representative did n...
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2017/city-of-timmins-1
Successful legal advocates must not only bring together evidence to successfully make their case, they must also craft a clear argument around a compelling narrative, and the same goes for an ombudsman or public advocate.
/resources/news/in-the-news/2018/ontario-ombudsman-offers-masterclass-in-public-impact-‘our-power-is-in-our-voice’-(the-mandarin)
The Ombudsman received a complaint alleging that council for the Municipality of Casselman held a closed session on May 27, 2021, when three members of council participated in a video call pertaining to a development project with a neighbouring municipality. The presence of t...
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2022/municipality-of-casselman
The Ombudsman reviewed a complaint that council for the Municipality of Brockton contravened the open meeting rules on February 14, 2023 when it discussed a partnership proposal during a closed session. The Ombudsman found that discussions about the partnership proposal di...
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2023/municipality-of-brockton
The Ombudsman received a complaint that the Board of Directors for Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit (SMART) does not hold meetings that are open to the public. The Ombudsman found that SMART is a shared local board of 10 member municipalities that is subject to the open ...
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2024/saugeen-mobility-and-regional-transit-(smart)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontarians turned to the provincial government for important information on protecting their health and that of their families and communities.
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/reports-on-investigations/2024/missed-messages