About Council Meetings

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Arial View of a beautiful lake and island

Council Meetings are held the 1st Wednesday of the month at 9:00 am in the Council Chambers at 29860 Hwy 28 South. There is only one meeting per month.

Members of the public are welcome to attend and watch council meetings however only pre-registered delegates are permitted to speak or address council when it’s in session.

Delegations

Anyone wishing to make a presentation to Council is required to make an appointment by contacting the Clerk who will advise the best date and time to make the presentation. Appointments must be scheduled at least one week prior to the Council meeting. Any documentation to be presented is to be delivered to the municipal office, also a week prior to the date of the meeting, for inclusion in the distributed Council package. Please contact the Clerk at 613-332-3638.

Closed Meetings

The Province of Ontario has established rules for a Council, local board or a committee to go into a closed meeting through the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c.25, as amended. Any person or corporation may request that an investigation be undertaken respecting whether the closed meeting legislation has been contravened.

Why are some meetings closed to the public?

Municipal Councils, local boards and their committees must meet behind closed doors on occasion to deal with certain matters. For example, if a municipality is being sued or if Council is considering purchasing a piece of land or if Council must deal with a labour relations issue then it is appropriate that they be able to do so at a closed meeting. The purpose of such a closed meeting is to receive information or give direction.

Legality

Local government in Ontario must be transparent and accountable. To this end, the Municipal Act states that all meetings of Council shall be open to the public except where the subject matter being considered falls within one of the categories expressly set out in the statute. The permitted reasons for going into a closed meeting are as follows:

  • The security of the property of the municipality or local board;
  • Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees;
  • A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board;
  • Labour relations or employee negotiations;
  • Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board;
  • Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose;
  • A matter authorized by another provincial statute;
  • If the subject matter relates to a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act;

The meeting is held for educating and training and no member discusses or deals with a matter in a way that materially advances the business or decision making of the Council, local board or committee.

Complaints about Closed Meetings

As of January 1, 2008 any person or corporation will be able to request that an investigation be undertaken respecting whether a municipality or local board, or a committee of either, has complied with closed meeting rules outlined in the Municipal Act, 2001 or the applicable procedural by-law.

In conjunction with Hastings County, the Municipality of Faraday has engaged the services of JGM Consulting, as the Municipal Closed Meeting Investigator and has authorized them to conduct investigations upon receipt of a complaint in respect of closed meetings or parts of closed meetings. The Investigator will determine compliance with the Act or the applicable procedural by-law with respect to closed meetings and will report on the results of such investigations.

Complaint Procedure

All complaints shall be in writing and signed by the complainant.

All complaints shall remain confidential, including the complainant’s name

All complaints received will be followed through by the Clerk to ensure compliance with the Complaint and Operational Policy, established by the Clerk, if applicable.

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