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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-12-18, Page 66 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesday, December 18, 2013 Ombudsman report on secret CONTINUED FROM > PAGE 1 Andre Martin said his annual report was not the most compelling news of the year and would not snake the late night shows, but that the number of complaints doubled over last year. Ile said that was due to taxpayers paying atter tion to the Sunshine Law In regards to keeping meetings open and transparent. In Lambton Shores the complaints cent'sO around the termination of the municipality's chief administrative officer (CAO) sparked com- plaints to our Office, including allegations that council discussed it at a secret meeting. "We were also asked to review the fairness of council's treatment of the CAO. OMLET advised the complainants that our Office can only look at the rules surrounding closed meetings, and can't review the substance of council decision- making. We determined there was no illegal meeting; however, we did find that council voted improperly during a closed session, and advised councillors that votes should only be for procedural matters, such as directing employees to take specific actions," said the Ombudsman in his report. "We commended council for audio -recording its closed meetings, which made for an expeditious review of the complaint." During the press conference, Marin said he was not expecting high tech equipment; "just an old fashioned tape recorder on a table" would suffice. OMI,E'I' also reviewed a separate set of meet- ings for an oversight committee that Lambton Shores officials didn't realize fell under the Municipal Art. "We advised then( that commit- tees made up of 50'X5 or more council members should follow the open meeting requirements, Including providing advanee notice of meet- ings, snaking a public resolution to proceed in camera, and keeping a record of closed ses sions," said Marin. While releasing a year-end report on local government transparency province wide, Andre Marin called on Queen's Park to add punish- ments for individual politicians who break the no -consequence laws. I lere's what else is in the report: THE NUMBERS A few numbers from Marin's annual report on secret meetings by municipal councils (it coy ers the period from Sept. 1, 2012 to Aug. 31, 2013): LIVING IN LAMBTON SHORES... A weekly Update on the Municipal Events in your Community Adminietstlon Department - 7883 Mfte ecom Parkway. Forst, Ontario NON 1)) Tel 1.877.7882335, 610788.2336 Fax 519.7884136 Emsa admirrtalonQrenbtonshorss ca V1s11 our Web Site al v.nvw lamblonshor.s ca HOLIDAY SCHEDULE for OAROAGE i RECYCLING PICKUP There will be no grbege or recycling pick up on Wednesday. Deoernbw 2e" or Wednesday. Jewry 1st However. a special collection for Lose normally collected on Wsdne day. December 26th will take ;lace on Saturday. December 28th, 2013 for those customers web pick up days scheduled for Decanter 241h and December 31st. please 'noun CM your material Is set at by 7 00 a m as the landed site I. dosing arty for further intorrrrson please contact the CommuNy Services Dept at 519.243 1400 or 1.886-943.1400 CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING The Mvudpalay of Lamblon Shores will once again provide Christmas tree drop-off depots from January 2nd -1 Tel Depots are located al tie following Community Services rants 9575 Port Franks Road - Northville 6276 Townsend Line, Forest (old arena) For further Information please contact the Community Service Department at 519 243.1400 or 1.866.943.1400 e MUNICIPAL OFFICE HOLIDAY HOURS All Municipal Administration Offices will bo dosed for the holiday season from Tuesday, December 24, 2013 at noon and ro•oponing Thursday, January 2, 2014 at 8:30 a.n1. The 2014 Council mooting schedule is now posted on the website. PLEASE NOTE... the first regular Council meeting will be held January 16, 2014 al the Legacy Centro In Thodford. 2013 - 2014 Holiday Skate Schedule The real glft Is the time you'll spend together! Tim 'tartan's and Easttink invite you to enjoy some bmo with yoty family and Mende and skate far free at your Ioral rens Check out the Muniapel website for inlormabon on free skate limes al the Shores and legacy Reoealon Cantos 2014 ELECTION NOTICE OF NOMINATION FOR OFFICE Notice Is hereby given to the municipal electors of the Municipality of Lambton Shores Nominations for the offices of MAYOR (lo bo elocled at largo) DEPUTY MAYOR (to be elected at largo) WARD COUNCILLORS (7 to be oloctod) for the Munidpaldy of Lambton Shores may bo rnado by completing and filing In the Muniapal office in 1 ores% nomination papers on the prescnbod form and accompanied by the proscribed nomination Ming foo d $ 200.00 for Head of Counal, and $ 100.00 for an other offices. The filing foe is payable by cash, certified cheque, money order or debit. Identification will be required at the time of filing. 1 onns are available at the Municipal (Mines or on line at: bilaitO11000t ili lblumtIONS-CilANtnslaMkAugi imi l'dluctiun.Mm A nomination must be signed by the candidate and may be filed in person or by an agent during regular business hours (8:30 am - 4:30 pm) between January 2, 7014 and Soptonrbor 11, 2014, and botwsen 0 e.m. and 2 p.m. on September 17, 2014 (Nomination Day). In the went there is an insufficient number of certified candidates to fill all positions available, nominations will bo ro opened for the vacant positions only on Wednesday, September 13, 2014 between the hours of 0 a m and 7 p m. and such additional nominations, A required, may he fled in the office of the Clerk. More information is available by contacting the Returning Officer at the Lambton Shores- Forest Office at 519.16N-2335, ton fro al 1-877.186.2335, by small: derks®4mbotnshores.ce or on the municipal webstto h1t0 Artier (ambtonsbalsa),gyllnlnNlocakioverni114Pti1tl4ytu1i.1! la! Dated this 13^ day of December, 2013 Carol McKenzie, Clerk of the Municipality of (ambton Shores/ Returning Officer CoNTUACTORS TAKE. NOTI : 293: complaints about potentially "secret""secret" meetings, double a year earlier. 96: meetings that were formally investigated by his office. 19: meetings determined to have broken Ontario's Taws against secret meetings (or one in live.). THE TOP FIVE Ile.re are the Trop 5 municipalities for most citizen complaints: 64: London 54: Sudbury 13: Lambton Shores 8: Oshawa 7: Fort Erie EMBRACE IT Marin, in some of his starkest lan- guage yet, offered stern advice to would-be politicians who can for- mally enter London's 2014 municipal race in three weeks: esnbrac.e the openness. Ile says there should he more education of those who want to be in politics and those people should not hang out with former councilors who do not follow that same theory of transparency. But until and unless the changes he wants to Ontario's Municipal Act hap- pen, that's all Marin can really do --- talk tough. Now, in Ontario, even when Marin's office finds a secret meeting was held, the only punishment is the publica- tion of his findings and some non- binding recommendations. Another of Marin's concerns: That municipal governments can opt out of using the ombudsman as a secret - meeting watchdog and hire 8 hand- picked replacement. Fewer than 200 of Ontario's 444 municipalitit's use the ombudsman's services. Sudbury council voted to do just that this year. The Sudbury Star reported the deci- sion was made after exactly the kind of closed -door scheming Marin would have investigated. (lis replace- ment determined there was no wrongdoing. During the press conference he questioned where else can someone fire the messenger? Ile said you can' fire the cop who tickets you or the judge who hands down a writes why is that you can fire some because you don't like the decisio . "I'd just like some type of cense• quenr.es for breaking the secret -meet- ing laws. Without any kind of conse- quences the province becomes an enabler to those kinds of secret meet- ings." Ile said he has had discussions with the premier and has explained how the process now is not working. Asked about e-mail and phone meetings, and Marin tol(1 the Lake- shore Advance decisions can't he made in this manner and that you can always tell if there was a "meeting before the meeting" because the deci- sion appears to be rubber stamped with no discussion. Election material on municipal website Municipal Election 201.1 is on the minds of many in Ontario and 1 amhton Shores website has been updated to include anything anyone who is consi(1 Bring running, may need. As of January 2, 2014, a person inter- ested in running for the Lambton Shores' Council or as a School Board Trustee will be able to file nomination papers. 'I he website has a link to a the newly announced on-line course pre sensed by the Association of Municipal- ities of Ontario, entitled "So You Want To Hun for council" 1) Nomination Papers; 2) Information on the nomination process; :1) hey Dates for the 2014 Election (subject to change if legislation changes); 4) The 2014 Candidates Guide pre pared by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and !lousing; 5) -I he 2014 Voters Guide prepare( by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and !lousing., 6) Maps depicting the Lambton Shores' ward boundaries; 7) The l; laws website link, 111 the event a person would like to review the Municipal Elections Act; and 11) A Zink to the Municipal Affairs and !lousing website. To check out anything you may need to get started, check out www.laTnbtun shores.com Ca( THF. t LUNO ASSOCIATION" When yoIi cant toeethe, nothing erne matters.'" Asthn'ia? We Call help.