- Municipal Council -
Your Elected Municipal Representatives for the 2022-2026 Term
Mayor – Gale Black
Councillor – Matt Rydberg
Councillor – Steve Salvador
Councillor – Ward 1 – Doug Brothwell
Councillor – Ward 2 – Holly Chant
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Accountability & Integrity
Ensuring accountability and transparency is one of council’s roles under section 224 of the Municipal Act, 2001 (the Act), and is a priority in maintaining public trust. Councillors are, of course, accountable to the public as elected officials. However, it is also important that procedures and policies are clearly set out and accessible, and that the day-to-day operations of the municipality are transparent.
Ontario municipalities and members of council operate under a legislated accountability and transparency framework that include rules for the municipality and rules for members of council and local boards. Local accountability and transparency frameworks consist of a mix of requirements and options.
Integrity Commisssioners
The Township of Sioux Narrows – Nestor Falls is committed to accountability and transparency. Our Integrity Commissioners act as independent and impartial investigators that looks into the ethical conduct of our councillors and local board members as outlined in the Municipal Act.
Request an inquiry
To request an inquiry, you must complete the Request for Inquiry form and/or the Inquiry Conflict of Interest Act Affidavit form and submit it/them to the attention of the Integrity Commissioner by mail or drop it off via:
Attention: Integrity Commissioner
Township of Sioux Narrows – Nestor Falls
5521 Highway 71, P.O. Box 417, Sioux Narrows, ON, P0X 1N0
Requests can be made by:
members of the public
township staff
members of Council
board and committee members
Role of the Integrity Commissioner
You can request an inquiry through the Integrity Commissioner if you believe a member of Council or a board or committee member has contravened the:
Municipal Code of Ethics
Municipal Conflict of Interest Act
by-laws, policies, procedures or rules of the City of Kenora
Investigation process
The Integrity Commissioner will follow the Integrity Commissioner Inquiry Protocol throughout the investigation process. After the investigation, the Integrity Commissioner may choose to disclose the report to Council. If we find that a member has contravened the Code of Conduct, the Township may choose to reprimand or suspend pay.
The Township’s appointed Commissioners are: Darrel Matson, Rosalie A. Evans and Ron Bourret.
Any and all complaints received by the Municipality will be forwarded to each of the appointees individually to seek their relative availabilities and current pricing. The Municipality’s choice of which of its service providers to use at any time is the sole choice of the Municipality. Our Integrity Commissioners do not receive annual retainers. In the event that Integrity Commissioner services are required, the Commissioners will provide the Municipality with their current hourly rates for services, or will provide an all-in quotation for the matter, depending on the circumstances at the time. The Municipality will make a selection of submissions received. Direct reasonable expenses and disbursements associated with the work will also be paid by the Municipality.
The Council of the Township of Sioux Narrows – Nestor Falls has adopted the following policies:
B-20-Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Local Board Members
B-31-Council and Staff Relations Policy
B-32-Integrity Commissioner Investigation Procedure
The Ontario Ombudsman
Since January 1, 2016, the Ontario Ombudsman has a new role with respect to municipalities. This new role builds on the local accountability and transparency framework in the Municipal Act, 2001. The new role is in addition to the Ontario Ombudsman’s role as the default meeting investigator for municipalities that have not appointed a local meeting investigator.
The Ontario Ombudsman supports transparency in government and may recommend improvements.
The Ontario Ombudsman may investigate municipalities on complaint or on the Ombudsman’s own initiative. Although the Ontario Ombudsman may investigate, they cannot compel municipalities to take action. The Ombudsman may make recommendations to council and the municipality as part of their report. It is up to the municipality whether and how to address any recommendations made by the Ombudsman.
It is up to the Ombudsman how to respond to complaints. For example, the Ontario Ombudsman’s practice is to investigate complaints made to local integrity officers (for example, a local Ombudsman) only after the local complaint processes are completed.
The Ontario Ombudsman does not replace locally established complaint mechanisms or act as an Integrity Commissioner for municipalities. Local integrity officers and municipal codes of conduct are an important part of Ontario’s local accountability framework.
Certain local boards (for example, police services board and children’s aid societies) may be exempted from the Ontario Ombudsman’s oversight.
For more information on the Ontario Ombudsman, including their processes, please see the Ombudsman Act and the Ontario Ombudsman’s Website.
Privacy and confidentiality
Personal privacy and other confidentiality issues are an important practical and legal consideration for municipal councillors and staff.
The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is the primary statute for privacy and confidentiality. It sets out rules for collection, use and disclosure of personal information. According to these rules, councillors (and staff), in most circumstances, would protect personal privacy and only collect, use and disclose personal information in accordance with those rules. For example, depending on circumstances, councillors and staff may or may not be authorized to obtain personal information in the course of their duties. This might mean that at times councillors could not obtain this kind of information from staff.
Municipal freedom of information legislation also regulates confidential information of other kinds (in addition to personal information). Other statutes and laws (including local by-laws) also regulate personal and other kinds of confidential information.
Councillors who may have received personal or other confidential information in the course of their duties will have related responsibilities, such as protecting and safeguarding the information. Councillors may wish to check with municipal staff about appropriate measures and the municipality’s practices (for example, providing for physical security to help prevent unauthorized disclosure or loss of confidential information).
Source: ontario.ca
