Mississauga Musings

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Peterborough Examiner (ON)

Shining light on Municipal Act
Sat 20 Oct 2007
Page: A4
Section: Opinion

Your editorial "No need to investigate" (Wed., Oct. 17) shines some much-needed light on the new provisions of the Municipal Act, which will allow the public to complain
about any municipal meeting that is held behind closed doors after Jan. 1, 2008.

As you point out, if a municipality does not appoint an investigator for such complaints, they will come to me, the Ombudsman of Ontario.

However, I want to stress that my office will not charge any fees to complainants or municipalities - in keeping with the tradition of ombudsman offices around the world, our services are free of charge to ensure they are accessible to everyone.

I am closely monitoring developments in this area as municipalities across Ontario decide whether or not to appoint their own investigators.

The public is welcome to consult our website (www.ombudsman.on.ca), where we will be posting
more information in the next few weeks about closed municipal meetings and the complaints and
investigation process that will be in effect in the new year.

André Marin
Ombudsman of Ontario

More...

Ombudsman to Investigate Closed Meetings Free of Charge

Marketwire
Mon 22 Oct 2007
Dateline: TORONTO, ONTARIO
Time: 13:00 PM

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 22, 2007) - Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin today welcomed new provisions of the Municipal Act, 2001 and the City of Toronto Act, 2006 that will allow people to complain to his office about closed municipal meetings if their municipality has not appointed its own investigator.

The new legal provisions - effective Jan. 1, 2008 - subject any municipal council, board or other decision-making body to an investigation if its members meet behind closed doors (with some exceptions). Where a municipality has not appointed its own investigator, complaints about closed meetings will be handled by the Ombudsman's office. In keeping with the tradition of ombudsmen around the world, Mr. Marin's office will not charge fees to complainants or municipalities, to ensure his services are accessible to all.

"The purpose of the legislation is to foster an environment of openness and transparency," said Mr. Marin. "If municipal politicians try to make decisions in secret, the public can now hold them to account. If their municipality hasn't appointed its own investigator, people can turn to the Ombudsman of Ontario to investigate their complaint."

Information about the new legislation and the complaints process is now available at the Ombudsman's website, www.ombudsman.on.ca. The Ombudsman's Office will also maintain information on which of Ontario's 445 municipalities have appointed investigators.

The Ombudsman is an independent officer of the Ontario legislature, funded by the province. His office handles some 20,000 individual complaints a year in addition to conducting frequent systemic investigations into issues of maladministration in provincial government ministries, agencies, boards and commissions. Mr. Marin's recent investigations have prompted the province to improve newborn screening, compensation of crime victims and the lottery system.

Aussi disponible en francais

For further information or to arrange an interview with Mr. Marin, please contact:

Barbara Theobalds or Linda Williamson

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Ontario Ombudsman Barbara Theobalds Media Relations Advisor (416) 586-3423 Email: btheobalds@ombudsman.on.ca

or Ontario Ombudsman Linda Williamson Manager, Communications and Media Relations (416) 586-3426 Email: lwilliamson@ombudsman.on.ca Website: www.ombudsman.on.ca

INDUSTRY: GOIN, GOLO, GONA, GOSE, GOST

SUBJECT: LAW

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