CARLING. ON-Carling council will be changing their meeting practices after receiving a report by the Office of Ontario Ombudsman.
The Township of Carling held a closed-door meeting on July 27th, October 10th and November 13th back in 2018. A complainant came forward to inform the Ombudsman that the minutes had not been released and that the council had not informed the public about what the meetings were about.
Councils are allowed to hold closed-door meetings under certain conditions, like the purchasing and selling of land in the community by the municipal government.
The Ombudsman report says that “reporting back after each closed session provides meaningful information to the public about the issues discussed in camera and inspires confidence that the meeting has been properly closed.”
While no formal punishment will be given to the council, the Township of Carling been notified that they must inform the public about their meetings so that the township may be more involved in their community.
The link to the Ombudsman report can be found here.