BackAccording to Ontario’s “sunshine law”, all meetings of councils, local boards and their committees must be open to the public unless they meet certain narrow requirements. However, there is no punishment for violating the law. Municipalities are allowed to hire their own investigators and they are even able to switch them in case they dislike a particular finding. Despite the fact that the office of the Ontario Ombudsman provides free service, 253 of the province’s 444 municipal councils have chosen their own investigators.
It is beyond doubt that enforcement, interpretation as well as the financial cost of the “sunshine law” should apply equally across the province. Ontario Ombudsman André Marin pointed to several outrages in his latest annual report into closed-door meetings. Upon his initiative comprehensive investigations were conducted, with the conclusion that illegal closed-door sessions had taken place indeed. In order to ensure that the law can effectively fulfil its purpose, the mandate of the Ombudsman should extend to every municipality across Ontario.
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