Council Code of Conduct

Background

In 2007, the Municipal Act was amended to include several provisions to assist municipalities in being more transparent and accountable to the public.

Section 270 of the Act requires every municipality to adopt and maintain policies for the sale and disposition of land; hiring of employees, procurement of goods and services, public notice, and transparency and accountability.

The Municipal Act also authorizes a municipality to establish a Code of Conduct for members of council and the local boards of the municipality as well as to appoint an Integrity Commissioner who reports to Council and who is responsible for performing, in an independent manner, the functions assigned by the municipality with respect to the application of the Code of Conduct for members of Council and the application of any procedures, rules and policies of the municipality governing the ethical behaviour of members of Council.

The Act also requires a municipality to appoint a closed meeting investigator to investigate complaints as to whether a municipality has complied with the requirements of the Act regarding open meeting requirements.

The County of Oxford retains Mr. John Mascarin as Integrity Commissioner and to investigate closed meeting complaints.

 Council Code of Conduct
On October 9, 2019, Council adopted the Code of Conduct, the purpose of which is to establish guidelines for the ethical behaviour of all members of Council, advisory committees and local boards of the municipality and to enhance public confidence that the County’s elected and appointed officials are held to a high standard of conduct. It is intended only to supplement the legislative parameters within which the members must already operate. It is not intended to replace personal ethics.

Download the Council Code of Conduct here
 Integrity Commissioner
The Integrity Commissioner is an independent and impartial position that reports directly to Council and whose powers and duties are set out in the Municipal Act, 2001.

Responsibilities of the Integrity Commissioner:

Investigate complaints and alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct for Members of Council.
Review the Code of Conduct for Members of Council and make recommendations on an annual basis.
Provide written or oral advice to individual members of Council regarding general interpretation of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
Serve as an advisor to individual Members of Council in relation to the Code of Conduct and any procedures, rules and policies of the municipality governing ethical behaviour, and act as a proactive educator for Council, the Civic Administration and the public.
Provide reports to Council
Provide individual investigative reports, as required, which will include background concerning a complaint and recommendations to Municipal Council with respect to a complaint
For assistance in contacting the Integrity Commissioner, please contact the County Clerk, Lindsey Mansbridge by e-mail to clerksoffice@oxfordcounty.ca or by telephone at 519-539-9800 ext 3001
 Closed meetings
According to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, all meetings of Council and Boards must be open to the public. A meeting or part of a meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter falls under one of exemptions of the Act.

A person may request that an investigation of whether a municipality or local board has contravened the provisions of the Municipal Act pertaining to a closed meeting. All requests for closed meeting investigations must be submitted using the Closed Meeting Investigation Form in writing to the County Clerk by mail or personal delivery and should be marked 'Confidential'. The following information must be provided:

Contact information of the requestor including full name, address, telephone number, e-mail address
Date of the closed meeting at issue
Reason(s) for the request including the provision allegedly contravened
Any other relevant information, including witness names and contact information
Original signature
A $25.00 fee is applicable to all requests in accordance with the County’s Fees and Charges By-law
For assistance regarding a closed meeting investigation, please contact the County Clerk, Lindsey Mansbridge by e-mail to clerksoffice@oxfordcounty.ca  or by telephone at 519-539-9800 ext 3001.