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4- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 2, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Ontario Ombudsman can investigate secrecy complaints Oakville Council may hire investigator For the short term, Oakville residents with complaints about closeddoor meetings at Town Hall will take them to the Ombudsman of Ontario for investigation. Due to new legislation the Ombudsman will be able to investigate public complaints about closeddoor meetings in most municipalities across the province after changes to the Municipal Act take effect on New Year's Day. Under the Act, the Ombudsman is the default investigator for complaints about all municipal meetings that are held behind closed doors after Jan. 1, 2008 -- except in those municipalities that have decided to appoint their own investigators. Oakville's Town Council is currently pondering if it wants to be one of these exceptions and has agreed to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to determine whether it wishes to contract out the service to a Closed-Door Investigator it would appoint and pay. While the Ombudsman will provide the service without charge to the Town, a staff report suggests that hiring an Oakville investigator would allow council to determine the duties of the investigator, establish procedure for investigations, and levy fees or costs for investigation requests. The Region of Halton, which is also affected by the legislative change, has opted to appoint Local Authority Services Ltd. (LAS) as its investigator. LAS was created by and is a subsidiary company of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) -- a non-profit organization that represents almost all of the province's municipalities. The New provisions to the Municipal Act subjects all municipal councils and most boards and committees to an investigation if their members meet behind closed doors, unless specific exceptions set out in the Act are met. As with all complaints handled by the Ombudsman regarding provincial government organizations, the Ombudsman's services in this new area of jurisdiction will be free of charge. There is no fee for complainants or municipalities and the Ombudsman's findings and recommendations will be made public. The new clauses under the Municipal Act also provide the town with the option of appointing an Integrity Officer, an Ombudsman, a Lobbyist Registrar and an Auditor General. Town councillors have decided not to pursue appointing either a Lobbyist Registrar or an Auditor General, but will consider appointing an Ombudsman and an Integrity Officer. The Integrity Officer would provide advice to councillors or board members, and be responsible for conducting inquiries around whether councillors or local board members have violated applicable codes of conduct. A report by Town staff suggests there is merit in having "an independent body to address any public requests for investigations into any alleged violation of ethical practices by any member of council or its local boards." Before the end of the year, Council is to consider the adoption of a municipal code of conduct. If an inquiry determines that a member has violated the code of conduct, council could opt to either impose a reprimand or suspend the pay of the member for up to 90 days. However, reports by the Integrity Officer would be made confidentially to Council, and would not be subject to provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. More information on the new legislative changes -- including Frequently Asked Questions, a list of municipalities that have chosen investigators, and a new complaint form -- is available on the Ombudsman's website at www.ombudsman.on.ca. Unique Cabinet Concepts DON'T BE FOOLED BY IMITATORS -WE'RE TRULY UNIQUE!! Manufacturers of fine custom cabinetry since 1976 · KITCHENS · BATHROOMS · WALL UNITS · BEDROOMS AND MORE We proudly offer a Lifetime Warranty on all of our cabinetry. Our qualified designers are waiting to show you the room of your dreams! We are conveniently located at Between Walkers & Appleby Line in Burlington 4150 South Service Road www.uniquecabinetconcepts.com 905-632-0029