Accountability

Council Remuneration

Section 248 of the Municipal Act requires annual reporting for the remuneration and expenses paid to each member of Council by March 31 of the following year.

Code of Conduct

The Municipality’s Code of Conduct applies to the Members of Council, including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor as well as any member of a Council Committee or Board. The Code of Conduct establishes guidelines for ethical conduct required of Members and provides mechanisms to ensure accountability and compliance.

The Code of Conduct requires Members submit a Disclosure Statement to the Clerk, if they are given a large gift.

If you believe that a Member has contravened the Code of Conduct, you may follow the informal complaint procedure set out in Appendix 1 of the Code of Conduct. You may also file a formal complaint with the Municipality’s Integrity Commissioner

Conflicts of Interest

Members are subject to the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act (“MCIA”). The MCIA prohibits Members from participating in discussions, voting on, or otherwise attempting to influence matters in which they, or a parent, child, or spouse, have a pecuniary (financial) interest.

Integrity Commissioner

The Municipality’s Integrity Commissioner is Aird & Berlis LLP. The role of the Integrity Commissioner is to support the Municipality's ethical framework by providing advice and education on the Code of Conduct, and on related policies, procedures, protocols and rules relating to the ethical conduct of Members. The Integrity Commissioner may conduct inquiries in response to complaints regarding whether a member has contravened the Code of Conduct, or sections 5, 5.1, or 5.2 of the MCIA.

Members can request advice from the Integrity Commissioner about their ethical obligations under the Code of Conduct and the MCIA.

You can contact our Integrity Commissioner by reaching out to Meghan Cowan at mcowan@airdberlis.com or by telephone 416-865-4722.

If you would like to know more about the Integrity Commissioner, the Code of Conduct and the MCIA, see the video of the Council Training on our Youtube Page

Closed Meeting Investigator

The Provincial Ombudsman acts as our Closed Meeting Investigator. They investigate when there are concerns about closed sessions of Council. You can contact them by phone at 1-800-263-1830 or by email: info@ombudsman.on.ca

Ombudsman

The Provincial Ombudsman is also our municipal ombudsman. The Municipal Ombudsman investigates concerns about Municipal services and administrative unfairness. We recommend that you speak to the department responsible for the service if you are unhappy with the quality of service you received. Prior to sending a formal complaint to the Ombudsman, residents are advised to submit your complaint thru the Municipal Service Portal to Administration to have it followed up on. If you are still dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal complaint process, you can contact the Ombudsman by phone at 1-800-263-1830 or by email: info@ombudsman.on.ca

Complaint concerning the March 23, 2023 council meeting can be seen here
Ombudsman Ontario - West Elgin

Complaint concerning Council Meetings in September & October, 2023 council meeting can be seen here
Ombudsman Ontario - West Elgin