Council Meetings

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Photo of Wood Carving of Early Stanhope Council

Council MeetingsView Schedule of Meetings on CivicWebVisit our You Tube Channel for upcoming and recorded meetings

Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, public participation in meetings of Council, as well as statutory public meetings, remains virtual at this time. To provide comments at a meeting, members of the public are asked to register in advance and then participate via Zoom. Meetings can be viewed through the YouTube link published in each agenda. 

Regular Council meetings are normally held on the first and third Thursday of the month at 9:00 a.m. Check the Township Calendar for dates.

Members of the public are welcome to watch Council meetings however only pre-registered delegates are permitted to speak or address Council when meetings are in session.

The Township of Algonquin Highlands Council Meetings are recorded and broadcast live publicly online. Please be advised that if you make a presentation, speak or appear at the meeting venue during a meeting, you, your comments and/or your presentation may be recorded, broadcast and/or recorded in the meeting Minutes.

Food and drinks are not permitted in the Council Chambers. You may enter or leave the Council Chambers at any time except during the reading of a resolution or the casting of a vote.

Special Council Meetings

A Special Council meeting is a council meeting other than a regular meeting. Special Council meetings are open to the public, unless all or part of the meeting is closed by a vote of council.

In-Camera (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:

  1. The security of the property of the municipality or local board;
  2. Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees;
  3. A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board;
  4. Labour relations or employee negotiations;
  5. Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board;
  6. Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose;
  7. A matter authorized by another provincial statute;
  8. If the subject matter relates to a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act;
  9. 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.
  10. Information explicitly supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board by Canada, a province or territory or a Crown agency of any of them;
  11. A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information, supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board, which, if disclosed, could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons, or organization;
  12. A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial or financial information that belongs to the municipality or local board and has monetary value or potential monetary value; or
  13. A position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the municipality or local board.

Complaints about Closed Meetings

Complaints may be submitted through the complaint process as described on the Ontario Ombudsman's website at www.ombudsman.on.ca/have-a-complaint, or by phone, email, regular mail or in person. Please note that the Ontario Ombudsman does not accept complaints through Twitter, Facebook, or any other third-party platforms.

Contact information for the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario:

Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
483 Bay Street
10th floor, South Tower
Toronto, ON M5G 2C9
 
Toll-free (inside Ontario only): 1-800-263-1830
Outside Ontario: 416-586-3300
TTY (teletypewriter): 1-866-411-4211
Fax: 416-586-3485
Email: info@ombudsman.on.ca

Contact Information

Dawn Newhook
Municipal Clerk
Phone: 705-489-2379 Ext. 333
Email: dnewhook@algonquinhighlands.ca