Council

The Township of McMurrich/Monteith has a five-member council.

The 2022-2026 Elected Officials for Township of McMurrich/Monteith are:

The Inaugural Meeting of Council, after a regular election, shall be held in Council Chambers no later than the 2nd Monday in December and shall meet, after that, on the first and third Tuesday of every month, at 7:00 p.m., unless such day is a legal, public or civic holiday, in which case, the Council shall meet at the same hour the next day which is not a holiday or any other time as determined by Council. The Chair shall be permitted to begin any meeting earlier to meet time restraints.

The Council Chambers at the Township Office is located at 31 William Street, Sprucedale.

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 speak to Council at one of the meetings must indicate in writing using the Delegation Request Form (Fillable), with all supporting material to the Municipal office no later than noon, on the Monday, being at least one week prior to the Council meeting. You may be scheduled for a 10 minute delegation before Council.


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 it 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 property 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.



Integrity Commissioner


Contact the Integrity Commissioner

Michael Maynard

Integrity Commissioner

ADR Chambers Inc.

Phone:  416-362-8555

Email:  integrity@adr.ca


The Municipal Act permits Council to appoint an Integrity Commissioner who performs specified functions regarding the application of the municipality's Code of Conduct which applies to all members of Council and members appointed to Boards and Committees to promote accountability and transparency in municipal governance.  As of November 15, 2022, Michael Maynard has been appointed as the Integrity Commissioner for the Township of McMurrich/Monteith.  If you believe a member of Council or Board and Committee has violated the Code of Conduct, please report to the Integrity Commissioner.


Forms and Policies


Annual Report

2024 Integrity Commissioner Report

2023 Integrity Commissioner Report


Role of the Integrity Commissioner

  1. Ensure that members perform their functions in accordance with the code of conduct and other procedures, rules or policies governing ethical behaviour;
  2. Provide advice and rulings on ethical challenges, issues and dilemmas, upon request of council or a member of council;
  3. Deliver an oral presentation to members of council regarding the role of the Integrity Commissioner and ethical obligations and responsibilities of each member of council under the code of conduct and any other procedures, rules or policies governing their ethical behaviour; 
  4. Function independently from staff and report to council; 
  5. Investigate complaints and alleged breaches of the council code of conduct; 
  6. Review the council code of conduct and make recommendations for improvements;
  7. Serve as an advisor to individual members of council with respect to the council code of conduct, and any procedures, rules and policies of the municipality governing the ethical behaviour, as well as associated policies and by-laws; 
  8. Prepare and deliver an annual report to council containing a summary of activities, if any, during the previous calendar year; and 
  9. Serve as a proactive educator for council, staff and the public with respect to ethical behaviour for council members.