The Municipality of Central Elgin is committed to accountability and transparency. This is done by regularly publishing agendas, meeting minutes, financial statements, council reports, and strategic plans. 

Council Procedures

The rules governing Council meetings are set out in the Municipal Act and Procedural By-law adopted by Council.

Code of Conduct

There is a Code of Conduct for Members of Council of the Municipality of Central Elgin. If you have concerns about the conduct of a member of Council, please fill out the Integrity Commissioner Form.

Integrity Commissioner 

Municipalities are required to provide access to an Integrity Commissioner. The Integrity Commissioner’s role is to perform, in an independent manner, the functions assigned by Council with respect to:

  • applying the local codes of conduct for members of council and certain local boards
  • applying local procedures, rules, and policies governing the ethical behavior of members
  • applying certain Municipal Conflict of Interest Act (MCIA) rules to members
  • requests for advice from members of council and certain local boards respecting their obligations under:
    • the local code of conduct applicable to the member
    • local procedures, rules or policies governing the ethical behavior of the members
    • certain sections of the MCIA
  • providing educational information to the public, the municipality and members of council and certain local boards about local codes of conduct for members and about the MCIA

The Commissioner’s functions also include conducting inquiries into requests from Council or a local board, a member of Council or a board, or a member of the public about whether a member of council or a local board has contravened the applicable code of conduct. The Integrity Commissioner will decided whether an investigation is warranted and, if so, conduct an investigation and submit the findings and recommendations to an open meeting of Council.

The Integrity Commissioner for the Municipality of Central Elgin’s Integrity Commissioner is:

Suzanne Craig

519-631-4860 x 7215

suzannecraigintegrity@gmail.com

To submit an inquiry or request, please fill out the Integrity Commissioner Form.

Customer Service

The Municipality is committed to a fair, consistent and transparent process to respond to stakeholder service complaints regarding any of our programs, facilities, services and procedures, as supported by the Stakeholder Service Standards Policy. Where a stakeholder has a complaint, the stakeholder may submit a formal complaint.

Freedom of Information Requests

Learn how to file a Freedom of Information Request in the Municipality of Central Elgin. You can request access to any government record that isn’t publicly available.

Investigation of Closed Meetings

Anyone wishing to question the appropriateness of a meeting of Council or a committee that was closed to the public may contact the Ontario Ombudsman via their online complaint form: https://www.ombudsman.on.ca/have-a-complaint/make-a-complaint or by calling 1-800-263-1830. Office hours are Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Office of the Ontario Ombudsman will decide whether an investigation is warranted and if so, conduct an investigation and submit the findings and recommendations to an open meeting of Council.

Information about open meeting rules can be found here: https://www.ombudsman.on.ca/have-a-complaint/who-we-oversee/municipalities/municipal-closed-meetings/open-meetings-guide-for-municipalities

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 Municipality of Central Elgin 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