DOCUMENT 2

Accountability and Transparency Reporting Matrix

The chart below contains current activities and practices that hold the City of Ottawa accountable and transparent.

Open Government and Legislated Requirements

	Activity	Responsible Department	Comments
1.	Municipal Act, 2001	City Clerk	The Municipal Act, 2001 is the City’s primary enabling legislation and provides municipalities with powers and duties for the purpose of providing services. The Act includes various requirements including six policies a municipality is required to have as well as a closed meeting complaint process.
2.	Municipal Conflict of Interest Act	City Clerk	This Act outlines three pecuniary interests (direct, indirect, deemed) for which a Member of Council must declare a conflict of interest and abstain from decision-making on matters in which they have such interests.  Members of Council are bound by several legal responsibilities when declaring a pecuniary interest in a matter.  A Member must orally disclose the general nature of the interest before any discussion occurs; not participate in discussions; not attempt to influence; not vote; and, if the meeting is closed to the public, leave the meeting. The Clerk must record disclosure in the minutes of the meeting at which pecuniary interest is declared.
3.	Provincial Offences Act – Conflict of Interest Policy	City Clerk	The principles of the POA Conflict of Interest policy are as follows:  · All persons involved in the administration and prosecutions of the Provincial Offences Court shall endeavor to carry out such duties in a manner that upholds the integrity, fairness and impartiality of the administration of justice; · No person shall attempt to influence or interfere, either directly or indirectly, with any employee or other persons performing duties in the administration of justice; and · The policy applies to employees or officers of the City of Ottawa, persons contracting with the Corporation for the performance of duties under the transfer Agreement and elected officials.

4.	Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act	City Clerk	MFIPPA requires municipal institutions to protect the privacy of an individual's personal information existing in government records. The Act creates a privacy protection scheme, which the government must follow to protect an individual's right to privacy. The scheme includes rules regarding the collection, use, disclosure and disposal of personal information in the custody and control of a municipal institution. The Act also gave individuals the right to access municipal government information, including most general records and records containing their own personal information, subject to very specific and limited exemptions.
5.	Health Information Protection Act	Public Health	This Act ensures that personal health information is private, confidential and secure. It provides consistent and comprehensive rules for individuals and organizations that collect, use and disclose personal health information.
6.	Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act	Finance Services	This Act requires the City to disclose the names, positions, salaries and taxable benefits of those employees who are paid a salary of $100,000 or more annually. The information is published by the Ontario Government to allow taxpayers to compare the performance of an organization with compensation levels.

Financial Accountability

	Activity	Responsible Department	Comments
7.	Annual Report and Detailed Audit Reports	Auditor General	The Auditor General is responsible for carrying out financial (excluding attestation of the City’s financial statements), compliance and performance audits of all programs, activities and functions of all City departments, agencies, boards and commissions and corporations and the offices of the Mayor and members of Council.
8.	Annual and Quarterly Financial Statements	Finance Services	The integrity, relevance and comparability of the data in the consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of management. The consolidated financial statements are prepared by management, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles established by the Public Sector Accounting Board (PSAB) of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. External auditors perform an annual audit on these statements.

9.	Annual Financial Information Return and MPMP schedules	Finance Services		The City’s financial information is provided to the Province in a format provided and mandated by the Province and referred to as the financial information returns. In addition information garnered from these schedules are used to produce the MPMP schedules that now form part of the FIR package. Although the FIR/MPMP schedules are not audited, there is an accompanying audit questionnaire that must be submitted by the external auditors.
10.	Long Range Financial Plan	Financial Services		The LRFP is part of the City's financial planning and budget process. This report clearly outlines the City of Ottawa's current financial picture making it accessible to residents, businesses and elected officials. The LRFP provides a comprehensive review of the City's financial condition, the financial pressures facing it, and a framework to help develop future budgets and guide discussions with other levels of government and the community.
11.	Capital Status Reports	Financial Services		This report is produced three times a year. The first two reports are posted to the City of Ottawa website and list current capital projects that have been approved by Council, actual spending to date on each project compared to total amount approved, as well as, actual revenues versus amounts budgeted. The third report is produced in the fall, and is included in the capital budget document. This version of the report provides an update on all capital projects approved by Council, and identifies the total authority approved, total expenditures and commitments, and the unspent authority.
12.	Purchasing By-law and Reports	Financial Services		This by-law clearly identifies the process for the purchase of goods and services. The by-law also includes requirements for the sale or disposal or sale of equipment etc.
13.	Property Tax Reports	Financial Services		Three Property Tax Reports are submitted to Council each year: Tax Policy and Tax Ratios Report which identifies property tax polices for the current year and the tax ratios for the various tax classes, Tax Due Dates and Interest Rate Report which identifies the due dates and sets the interest rate for the current year, and a Report on Assessment appeals by City which identifies the number of appeals by City staff for over and under-assessed properties.
14.	Quarterly Operating Status Reports	Financial Services		Produced 3 times a year, this report contains year-to-date actual expenditures and revenues compared to equivalent year-to-date budgets; compensation, overtime and benefit actuals to date versus the yearly budget; year end projections for various capital reserve fund balances; any budget adjustments that have been made under delegated authority; and Council approved reports that have budget impacts for the following year. The Quarterly Operating Status Reports produced in the latter part of the year also include an operating forecast for the year.
15.	Delegation of Authority By-law and Reports	All departments		The Delegation of Authority By-law sets out the delegation of authority to various officers of the City. General provisions are provided in the main part of the by-law and specific delegations are detailed in attached schedules to the by-law. Reporting of specific exercise of delegated authority is provided to the appropriate Standing Committee on a quarterly basis, as a minimum, unless expressly specified in the by-law.
16.	Human Resources Plan	Employee Services		Produced annually, and tabled at the same time as the draft budget. Today, Council received the Human Resource Plan (HR Plan) for the City of Ottawa. The purpose of the HR Plan is to report on current full time equivalents (FTE) at the City and to help forecast future FTE requirements based on operational demands. This Human Resource Plan can be used by City Council to: · Give a snapshot of where employees work within the City at a particular moment in time; · Qualify the number of positions approved by Council; and · Monitor and evaluate the City’s human resource needs. The HR Plan counts the numbers of Full-Time Equivalent positions (FTEs). The number of FTEs at the City changes every year in response to increased demand for services from a growing population, implementation of new programs by Council or changes to provincial legislation. The overall Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) count does not change unless Council approves a change to the total number of FTEs.
17.	Financial reports and general reporting to the Province and Federal Government		All departments	Many branches have a responsibility to their funding partners to submit financial reports and vital statistics on an annual or semi-annual basis. Reporting is usually specific to a program or project i.e. Employment and Financial Assistance, Homeless shelter usage, Public Health - infectious disease outbreaks.
18.	Corporate Overtime Policy		Employee Services	This policy promotes the responsible management of overtime expenditures. Overtime may be authorized when management is satisfied that the work or service is necessary, and that overtime is the most appropriate and/or cost effective way of doing this work or providing this service.

Performance Measurement and Reporting

	Activity	Responsible Department	Comments
19.	Annual Report	Corporate Communications and Corporate Administrative Policy and Performance Management	The purpose of the Annual Report is to provide internal and objective evaluation to improve the City’s operations. The Annual Report documents the Corporation’s financial performance in meeting its goals and priorities for the past year. It also highlights the City’s performance in delivering various services and programs to the residents of Ottawa including recreation programs, health initiatives, planning and development, road and infrastructure work and emergency services.
20.	City Corporate Plan and City Strategic Directions	Corporate Planning and Performance Reporting Office	The City Corporate Plan identifies the key improvements that the City will deliver to citizens over the next four years. It specifies how far and how fast new and enhanced services will be implemented, and represents a framework for Councillors to consider as they make decisions on policies, programs, and services. The Plan is updated every year to enable the City to respond to changing priorities, new opportunities and emerging issues.
21.	Quarterly Performance Reports to Council	Corporate Administrative Policy and Performance Management	The Quarterly Performance Report to Council is produced following the end of each quarter, and has been designed to provide high-level output-focused efficiency and customer service information about the core services provided to the public by the City of Ottawa, as well as information about key internal services.
22.	Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative and Report	Corporate Administrative Policy and Performance Management	The Ontario Municipal CAO's Benchmarking Initiative is a partnership project that works towards service excellence in municipal government. Participating municipalities work together to identify and share performance statistics, operational best practices and to network in a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship to push for even greater successes.
23.	311 Service Reporting	Client Service and Public Relations	Requests submitted through 311 are logged and response times on service requests are tracked. This allows the City to follow up on and measure action on these requests.
24.	Corporate Performance Reporting: Ottawa’s Vital Signs	Corporate Administrative Policy and Performance Management	Ottawa’s Vital Signs® is an annual check-up through which the Community Foundation of Ottawa measures the vitality of our city, identifies significant trends, and assigns grades in ten areas critical to Ottawa’s quality of life. The report is part of a national initiative led by community foundations across Canada and its findings are part of a national summary issued annually by Community Foundations of Canada.
25.	Corporate Performance Reporting: FCM – Quality of Life Reporting System	Corporate Administrative Policy and Performance Management	Developed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the Quality of Life Reporting System (QOLRS) measures, monitors and reports on the quality of life in Canadian urban municipalities using data from a variety of national and municipal sources. The QOLRS includes 22 municipalities, comprising some of Canada’s largest urban centres and many of the suburban municipalities surrounding them.
26.	Corporate Performance Measurement and Reporting (MPMP, OMBI and internal measures)	Corporate Administrative Policy and Performance Management	The City currently reports performance-related information to the provincial government through mandatory programs such as the Ontario Municipal Performance Measurement Program (MPMP) and the Financial Information Return (FIR). Ottawa also voluntarily participates in the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative (OMBI), which draws upon base MPMP information and supplements it with additional data on the delivery of municipal services.

Open Government

	Activity	Responsible Department	Comments
27.	Council Procedure By-law	City Clerk	This by-law establishes the rules under which Council and standing committees operate, including but not limited to members’ duties, speaking times, orders of precedence of motions, etc. It also requires meetings to be held in the open, and clearly lays out the reasons which may allow in-camera meetings, clearly establishes timing of distribution of material to be considered and the requirements for items which do not meet these deadlines.
28.	In Camera Procedures	City Clerk	The City of Ottawa is a leader in the Province in open meetings and has many best-practice open meetings procedures in place such as: advertising meetings, disclosing reasons for moving in camera, and providing reporting out dates for in camera reports and decisions. The City will also establish a process to receive and investigate closed meeting complaints pursuant to the Municipal Act, 2001.
29.	Public Distribution of Council and Committee Agenda Meeting Documentation	City Clerk	The City of Ottawa practices transparency by ensuring that City Council and Committee agendas and minutes are posted on the City of Ottawa website. City Council meetings are also televised on local television, and available for viewing via webcast on ottawa.ca. Council meetings are also archived and available for public access via webcast on ottawa.ca.

30.	Appointment Policy (Recruitment and Selection of members of Advisory Committees, Boards and Task Forces, and External Boards, Commissions and Authorities)	City Clerk	This policy outlines a fair and equitable approach and process for recruiting, selecting and appointing citizen members to City advisory committees, boards and task forces, and external boards, commissions and authorities. To encourage participation, the City will adopt the general concepts of equity, accessibility and accommodation, to ensure that all citizens have equal opportunity. Membership on City advisory committees, boards and task forces will, as much as possible, reflect Ottawa’s diversity and demographics in such areas as gender, official language, geographic representation, race and disability.
31.	Bilingualism Policy	City Clerk	The Bilingualism Policy's specific provisions govern several features of civic activity, notably communications, the proactive delivery of services in both languages to citizens and staff, work organization, including designation of positions, language training, and cultural program management.
32.	White Paper Pilot for Policy Development	All departments	The White Paper Pilot affects various new, major policy initiatives. The pilot is designed so that: · City Councillors will be able to provide more direction to staff at the beginning of the policy development process rather than at the end; · City staff will have a more fulsome appreciation of what elected representatives want to see in terms of consultation, information and outcomes; and · Advisory Committees, stakeholders and citizens will be able to provide input to the White Paper early on in the policy development stage as well as on the final policy recommendations.
33.	Multiple Formats Policy	City Clerk	The City of Ottawa is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free access to City documentation in multiple formats for persons with disabilities. The main objectives of this policy are: · To ensure that all citizens, regardless of ability, have the tools they require to participate in the civic process; · To ensure that all staff, regardless of ability, have the tools they require to fulfill their professional duties and have equal access to all information; · To ensure that the new City of Ottawa is as inclusive and barrier-free as possible in a cost effective manner; · To ensure that the City's website and employee MOE site is as accessible as possible. To ensure equal electronic access to information.
34.	Advisory Committee Expense Policy	City Clerk	The purpose of the Advisory Committee Participation Expense policy is to clearly define what expenses shall be reimbursed, under what conditions, to whom, and what if any minimum or maximum amounts apply to ensure all members clearly understand what is or is not considered a legitimate expense.
35.	Public Notice By-law	City Clerk	This by-law identifies the manner, the form and at the times notice shall be given. It should be noted that the by-law sets only the minimum standard that would be required. Additional print advertising, direct mail, web, radio, or television may be appropriate in particular circumstances.
36.	Public Participation Policy	City Clerk	Public Participation provides an opportunity to re-examine the way business is carried out to ensure that: there is value to the consultation process; to expand the use of best practices for citizen engagement in the City; and, to ensure that community feedback is valued and used to further develop and deliver programs, services and policies in the City. The City's Policy makes a commitment to citizens that administrative and policy processes are open and accessible, respectful of the public’s right to be involved and are responsive to the public’s need for information.
37.	Fraud and Other Similar irregularities	City Manager	This policy sets out specific guidelines and responsibilities regarding the prevention, detection and reporting of fraud.  In addition, this policy outlines the appropriate actions that must be followed for the investigation of fraud and other similar irregularities.
38.	Hospitality (Internal) for City Employees	Corporate Administrative Policy and Performance Management	This policy provides guidance for when hospitality can be provided to City staff and addresses permissible expenses and approval authority.
39.	Corporate Sponsorship & Advertising Policy	Corporate Administrative Policy and Performance Management	The primary objective of the policy’s parameters and guidelines is to safeguard the City’s corporate values, image, assets, and interests while increasing the opportunities for revenue generation.
40.	Corporate Travel Policy	Finance	The purpose of this policy is to establish parameters for the reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred by employees as a result of approved travel outside of the City of Ottawa on City of Ottawa business. This policy also allows the City to effectively monitor and control costs associated with travel.

41.	Corporate Records Management Policy	ITS	The purpose of this policy is to clarify the City's expectations and requirements regarding the creation and life cycle management of the municipality's records. It defines responsibilities, authorities and inter-relationships in order to establish and maintain a records management discipline at the City. This is to ensure that information can be made available for decision-making, program and service delivery, and Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act requests while being protected and disposed of (retained and preserved or destroyed) in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations and policies.
42.	Review of case law and legislation and regulations	Legal Services	Legal Services staff constantly review legislative changes and case law in order that the City stays current and to date in its activities.
43.	Program Reporting	All departments	Currently researching the various reports that are submitted to council on a quarterly, semi annually, and annually basis.

Internal Accountability and Ethical Standards

44.	Corporate Code of Conduct for staff	Employee Services	This policy requires all City employees to perform their duties in a manner that maintains and enhances public confidence and trust in the integrity, objectivity and impartiality of the City. Furthermore, as an organization entrusted with public funds, the City is obligated to ensure the protection and appropriate use of all its resources and assets.
45.	Advisory Committee Procedure By-law and Code of Conduct	City Clerk	This by-law establishes the rules under which Advisory Committees shall operate, including but not limited to members’ duties, speaking times, orders of precedence of motions, etc. It also includes a Code of Conduct which assists all members in ensuring they act in a manner that is appropriate for their position and purpose to provide informed advice and guidance, as well as to facilitate public input to City Council on programs and policies.
46.	Hiring and Employment of Family Members	Employee Services	The purpose of this policy is to ensure that employment-related decisions concerning existing or potential City employees are free from any real or perceived improper influence based on familial relationships and to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the City's hiring and employment practices.

47.	Corporate Responsible Computing Policy	ITS	The purpose of this Policy is to ensure that users of City of Ottawa information technology assets and services do so in a manner that supports City programs, services and activities; protects, preserves and avoids waste of these resources; maintains the appearance and substance of the City’s good public reputation; and complies with laws and regulations.
48.	Election-Related Resources Policy	City- Clerk	In compliance with the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, public funds are not to be used for any election-related purposes, including the promotion of or opposition to the candidacy of a person for elected office.
49.	Workplace Harassment Policy	Employee Services	The purpose of this policy is to foster a respectful workplace through the prevention and prompt resolution of harassment.
50.	Fraud and Waste Hotline	Auditor General	As part of the City’s ongoing efforts to support the high level of integrity of our workplace and our employees, and to protect City property, resources and information, City Council has initiated and approved a new fraud policy including the establishment of a Fraud and Waste Hotline. This initiative reflects the City’s proactive efforts to ensure and demonstrate our commitment to corporate accountability, transparency, responsibility, and sound and ethical operating practices.
51.	Corporate Gifts and Entertainment Policy	Business Transformation Services	The policy objective is to ensure that employees make workplace decisions based on an impartial and objective assessment of each situation, free from the influence of gifts, favours, hospitality or entertainment.