7.       motion - Municipal Conflict of Interest Act - Amendment

 

MOTION - Loi sur les conflits d'intérêts municipaux - modification

 

 

Committee Recommendation

 

That Council petition the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act to ensure that committee meetings are covered by the legislation.

 

 

Recommandation du comité

 

Que le Conseil municipal présentera une requête à la province de l’Ontario en vue de modifier la Loi sur les conflits d’intérêt municipaux afin d’assurer que les réunions des comités sont couvertes par la loi.

 

 

 

 

 

Documentation

 

1.   Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee report dated 16 October 2007 (ACS2007-CMR-CSE-0013).

 

2.   Extract of Draft Minute, 16 October 2007.


Report to / Rapport au :

 

Council / Conseil

 

16 October 2007 / le 16 octobre 2007

 

Submitted by / Soumis par : Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee

Comité des services organisationnels et du développement économique

 

Contact/Personne-ressource : Diane Blais, Committee Coordinator/Coordonatrice du comité,
Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee /
Comité des services organisationnels et du développement économique
580-2424, Ext./poste : 28091  Diane.Blais@ottawa.ca

 

 City-wide / À l’échelle de la ville

 

Ref N°: ACS2007-CMR-CSE-0013

 

SUBJECT:     MOTION - Municipal Conflict of Interest Act -
Amendment

 

OBJET :         MOTION - Loi sur les conflits d'intérêts municipaux - modification

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That Council petition the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act to ensure that committee meetings are covered by the legislation.

 

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Conseil municipal présentera une requête à la province de l’Ontario en vue de modifier la Loi sur les conflits d’intérêt municipaux afin d’assurer que les réunions des comités sont couvertes par la loi.

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

At the 16 October 2007 meeting of the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee, Councillor D. Deans moved that the Committee approve the addition of the following item for consideration, pursuant to Section 84(3) of the Procedure By-law:

 

 

WHEREAS the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act (the “Act”) was enacted in 1982 to be a code to govern the behaviour of municipal Councillors and local board members across Ontario;

 

AND WHEREAS the Act has not been significantly amended since its enactment;

 

AND WHEREAS the City Solicitor has identified an ambiguity in the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act whereby three judicial decisions have found that the Act only applies to Council meetings and not to committee meetings;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT City Council petition the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act to ensure that committee meetings are covered by the legislation.

 

 

The Committee agreed to consider the item and subsequently approved the above-noted motion.

 

 

CONSULTATION

 

N/A

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

As noted in the motion.

 

 

ATTACHMENTS

 

N/A

 

 

DISPOSITION

 

N/A




            MOTION - Municipal Conflict of Interest Act -
Amendment

MOTION - Loi sur les conflits d'intérêts municipaux - modification

ACS2007-CMR-CSE-0013                               CITY-WIDE / À L’ECHELLE DE LA VILLE

 

Moved by Councillor D. Deans

 

That the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee approve the addition of this item for consideration by the Committee at today’s meeting, pursuant to Section 84(3) of the Procedure By-law.

                                                                                                CARRIED

 

Councillor Deans introduced a motion calling on City Council to petition the Province to amend the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act to ensure that Committee meetings were covered by the legislation.  She explained that this pertained to a memo received from the City Solicitor in response to an inquiry she had raised at a previous meeting. 

 

Responding to a question from Mayor O’Brien, Mr. R. O’Connor, City Solicitor, acknowledged that it may be possible to address this issue through a municipal by-law.  However, he submitted that it would also be important, for local boards and other municipalities, if there was some consistency and clarity with regards to legislation. 

 

Following this exchange, Committee voted on the motion.

 

Moved by Councillor D. Deans

 

WHEREAS the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act (the “Act”) was enacted in 1982 to be a code to govern the behaviour of municipal Councillors and local board members across Ontario;

 

AND WHEREAS the Act has not been significantly amended since its enactment;

 

AND WHEREAS the City Solicitor has identified an ambiguity in the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act whereby three judicial decisions have found that the Act only applies to Council meetings and not to committee meetings;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT City Council petition the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act to ensure that committee meetings are covered by the legislation.

                                                                                                CARRIED