Accountability and Transparency

Council remuneration

Section 248 of the Municipal Act, 2001 requires annual reporting for the remuneration and expenses paid to each member of Council by March 31^st of the following year.  Council remuneration is comprised of the honorarium, per meeting expense and benefit costs.

Disclosures of pecuniary interest

Code of conduct

Our Code of Conduct applies to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillors and any member of a Council Committee. They have important roles in our community and must act in an open and respectful way.

You may submit a formal complaint, if you think that someone has broken the Code of Conduct. Information about the complaint process is included in the Code of Conduct. Complaints are submitted to the Integrity Commissioner.

Conflicts of interest

The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act is to prevent members from influencing the consideration of a matter in which they have a direct or indirect pecuniary (financial) interest. When a member has a conflict of interest they are expected to:

• Disclose the interest and the general nature of the interest before the matter is considered at a meeting;
• Not participate in the discussion or vote on the matter;
• Not attempt to influence the voting on the matter before, during or after the meeting.

A person demonstrably acting in the public interest who believes a member has contravened the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, may apply to the Integrity Commissioner to request an investigation within six weeks of becoming aware of a conflict of interest. 

Integrity commissioner

The Integrity Commissioner can investigate complaints related to the Code of Conduct and Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. The Integrity Commissioner is Aird & Berlis LLP and can be contacted at:

Meghan Cowan
Phone 416-865-4722
Email mcowan@airdberlis.com
Administrative Assistant: Hilary Butten - 416-865-7789, ext. 5014

Closed meeting investigator

Aird and Berlis, LLP also acts as the Closed Meeting Investigator. They investigate when there are concerns about closed sessions of Council. The Closed Meeting Investigator can be contacted at:

John Mascarin
Phone 416-865-7721
Email jmascarin@airdberlis.com
Administrative Assistant: Katie MacDonald - 416-865-7789, ext. 3169

Ombudsman

The Ombudsman may investigate, independently, complaints about any decision or recommendation made or act done or omitted in the course of the administration of the municipality, its local boards and such municipally-controlled corporations as the municipality may specify.  The Ombudsman for the Township of Southwold is:

Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
483 Bay Street
10th floor, South Tower
Toronto, ON M5G 2C9

Toll-free (Ontario only): 1-800-263-1830
Outside Ontario: 416-586-3300
TTY (teletypewriter): 1-866-411-4211
Fax: 416-586-3485
Toll-free Fax: 1-866-863-2560
Email: info@ombudsman.on.ca