The Municipal Act, 2001 authorizes municipalities to establish codes of conduct for members of Council and local boards and to appoint an Integrity Commissioner. Code of Conduct
The Integrity Commissioner reports to Council and is responsible for performing in an independent manner the functions assigned by the municipality to promote accountability and transparency in municipal governance. Reports of the Integrity Commissioner are available to the public. Council for the Township of The Archipelago has appointed Aird & Berlis LLP as its Integrity Commissioner.
For Code of Conduct complaint and Municipal Conflict of Interest Act applications, please contact:
Megan Cowan
T 416-865-4722
E mcowan@airdberlis.com
Administrative Assistant: Hilary Butten - 416-865-7789 Ext. 5014
The Integrity Commissioner’s role is to:
- Keep officials aware of the requirements of the Code;
- Respond to requests from members of Council, Boards or Committees for advice regarding their obligations under the Code of Conduct and compliance;
- Conduct confidential inquiries and investigations into alleged contraventions of the Code, make findings with respect to the alleged contravention are recommend penalties to Council, where the Integrity Commissioner finds that the code has been breached; and
- Report annually to Council on the activities of the office.
Should there be a complaint lodged and it is investigated, the report will be listed here. An annual report from the Integrity Commissioner will be listed here as well.
As of January 1, 2016 the new Public Sector and MPP Accountability and Transparency Act, 2014 took effect. The Ontario Ombudsman has the power to investigate and resolve complaints about municipalities, universities and school boards. This means that the Ontario Ombudsman can help Ontarians who have problems with these bodies. However, this does not mean the Ombudsman’s office replaces existing complaint mechanisms, such as complaints to the Integrity Commissioner; but rather they ensure they work as they should.
If you believe that a Member of Council or a Committee or Board member has breached the Code of Conduct, you should be using the complaint process established by the municipality and noted above. Please use the links above in order to lodge your complaint. All complaints will be treated as confidential and will go directly to the Integrity Commissioner, Harold Elston.
Integrity Commissioner Reports for Individual Complaints
Complaint reports supplied to Council in open session are available upon request from the Clerk, Maryann Martin.
