Ontario’s newest watchdog wants to soften his office’s bark.
/resources/news/in-the-news/2016/‘this-is-a-job-i’ve-dreamt-of’-ontario’s-ombudsman-talks-twitter,-transparency-and-his-new-role-(na
In his report " Let's Flip For It ", the Ombudsman found that a closed session in the Township of Billings - in which council tossed a coin to choose a new councillor - was an illegal closed meeting under the Municipal Act .
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The Ombudsman found that council for the City of Welland held illegal closed sessions on March 18, April 15, and May 6. At these meetings, council discussed matters in closed session that were not permissible under the exceptions to the open meeting requirements.
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2014/city-of-welland-property-and-propriety”
The Ombudsman found that in camera discussion held by council for the Municipality of Whitestone on February 4, 2014 fit within the personal matters and labour relations exceptions to the open meeting requirements.
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2014/municipality-of-whitestone
The Ombudsman received a complaint that council for the City of Niagara Falls violated the Municipal Act when it voted in closed session to commit $10 million towards a proposed partnership with a post-secondary institution. The Ombudsman found that the discussion did not f...
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2016/city-of-niagara-falls
It was, as they say, a teachable moment. In September 2016, at a time when parents have more than enough on their minds, Toronto’s school bus network was in chaos: some buses showed up late in the mornings, others not at all. And at the end of the day, drivers in some cases dr...
/resources/news/in-the-news/2017/toronto’s-school-bus-woes-demonstrate-the-risks-of-reinventing-the-wheel-(tvo)
There are many communities that have for years decried a crisis of confidence in Ontario police. The province’s much-anticipated new omnibus policing legislation, packaged as the Safer Ontario Act, 2017, appears to have been met with general optimism — perhaps as much a measu...
/resources/speeches-and-articles/articles/2017/speaker-s-corner-making-police-accountable-long-overdue-(law-times)
Ontario municipalities and its citizens are marking an important anniversary with the arrival of this new year. It has been exactly 10 years since they embarked upon what was heralded as a "new era" in municipal accountability - an era that is still evolving.
/resources/speeches-and-articles/articles/2018/open-meetings-after-10-years,-ontario-s-new-era-of-municipal-transparency-continues-to-evolve-(m
Regional council accepts all recommendations for reform
/resources/news/press-releases/2019/ombudsman-finds-niagara-cao-hiring-was-inside-job
The Ombudsman received a complaint alleging that council for the Municipality of Temagami discussed matters during two closed meetings that did not fit into the exceptions in the Municipal Act . Council met in closed session on June 13, 2019 to discuss a harassment complaint...
/resources/reports,-cases-and-submissions/municipal-meetings/2021/municipality-of-temagami