CCHT Letter re Mayor - Amberley Gavel Report

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Last Updated: 19 May 2016

WITHOUT PREJUDICE: Mayor Lovshin: Can you please define "minor" for us?

The exclusive interview with Mayor Lovshin as reported by Northumberland Today on May 2nd cannot go without comment from the Citizen's Council of Hamilton Township (CCHT).

The interview was in relation to a report by Amberley Gavel of the investigation into past conduct of the Mayor and Council. The report conclusions state in part;

"Amberley Gavel has concluded that Council for Hamilton Township breached the open meetings requirements of the Municipal Act and the provisions of the Township's Procedural By-law when meeting in Closed Session under section 239 of the Municipal Act on March 12, 2015, specifically when it continued to meet in the absence of the Acting Clerk and failed to properly allow for a record of the full proceedings of the Closed Session." (Amberley Gavel report here).

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Accountability in Ontario

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Last Updated: 22 April 2016

On January 1, 2016, citizens of Ontario will finally be able to bring their municipal complaints to their provincial Ombudsman. This will mark the start of a new era of accountability at the local level. The passage of Bill 8 - the Public Sector and MPP Accountability Act, 2014 - opens the broader public sector to independent oversight for the first time. Complaints about the so called "MUSH" sector ( municipalities, universities, school boards, hospitals, long-term care, police and children aid societies.) have remained outside the office's jurisdiction since Ontario's first Ombudsman, these bodies have important decision- making powers and take actions which affect the lives of all of us. Since 2005 alone the Ombudsman office has had to turn away more than 24,000 " MUCH " complaints. More than 10,500 of those were about municipalities, making them the most complained- about area of the sector so far. Complaints about municipalities ran the gamut from garbage collection and snow removal to conflict of interest and the conduct of council members. Many citizens expressed the view that they had nowhere else to turn for independent review of their local concerns. As of January 1, that will change.

Read more: Accountability in Ontario