Closed Council Meeting Investigator and Ombudsman

Municipal Ombudsman and Closed Meeting Investigator Overview

The Council of the Township of Carling makes every effort to ensure openness and transparent governance. The Township strives to maintain an effective balance between protecting the privacy of individuals but being as open about Council decisions as possible to maintain public confidence and trust.

Under Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, any individual may request an investigation be undertaken to determine whether a municipality or local board has complied with the Municipal Act, or its Procedure By-law in respect of a meeting or part of a meeting that was closed to the public. Upon receiving a complaint, the Township’s Ombudsman will conduct an investigation to determine if topics discussed during Closed Session meetings of Township Council and its Committees were in violation.

When can a closed meeting take place?

Section 239 of the Municipal Act allows closed meetings to take place to discuss topics under the following circumstances:

Closed Meeting Investigator​ magnifying class
  • The security of property of the municipality or local board;
  • Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including local board employees;
  • A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board;
  • Labour relations or employee negotiations;
  • Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board;
  • Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose;
  • A matter in respect of which a council, board, committee or other body may hold a closed meeting under another Act;
  • Information explicitly supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board by Canada, a province or territory or a Crown agency of any of them;
  • A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information, supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board, which, if disclosed, could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons, or organization;
  • A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial or financial information that belongs to the municipality or local board and has monetary value or potential monetary value;
  • A position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or behalf of the municipality or local board.

Need the file a Request?

Contact the Municipal Ombudsman

Contact our Closed Meeting Investigator

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