LAURE WEIR

The Ontario Ombudsman has advised the Township of Rideau Lakes to release an Integrity Commissioner (IC) report concerning Coun. Linda Carr, following complaints that the report has been withheld from the public.

In a letter addressed to the council, which appears on the Oct. 7 council meeting agenda, Ombudsman Paul Dubé highlighted that the Municipal Act, 2001 mandates municipalities to make IC reports publicly available, regardless of the findings or council’s disagreement with them.

The controversy stems from the township’s decision to indefinitely defer the release of the report, after voting against placing it on the agenda at an Aug. 12, 2024, Municipal Services Committee meeting. A subsequent motion to reconsider this decision was defeated on Sept. 3, 2024, during a council meeting. This prompted the council to request the Ombudsman’s office to provide options for an unbiased review of the report before its public release.

“The Municipal Act is clear that a municipality shall ensure that reports received from its Integrity Commissioner are made available to the public,” Dubé stated in his letter, emphasizing there are “no exceptions” to this rule.

According to Dubé, the decision to withhold the report violates both the Municipal Act and the township’s own Accountability and Transparency bylaw, which requires IC reports to be submitted for public release within seven days of receipt.

The IC report in question followed an investigation into a complaint against Carr. While the contents of the report remain undisclosed, the decision to withhold it has raised transparency concerns among residents and prompted council to seek a review by a third party.

Dubé urged council to follow through on their legal obligation to release the report. “While I recognize that council may be motivated to protect the reputation of a councillor against findings that council wishes to dispute, the object of the Municipal Act is to encourage transparency surrounding Integrity Commissioner reports.”

The township has the option to seek a judicial review of the IC’s findings if it disputes them, but the report must still be made public, according to the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman’s letter has been added to the agenda for the next council meeting.