Accountability and Transparency
It's our responsibility to provide an effective government for everyone in Woodstock. This means doing everything we can to be accountable and transparent by encouraging public access and participation in the matters that affect our City.
We will:
- Be responsive to the needs of our constituents and receptive to their opinions
- Deliver high quality services to our citizens
- Promote the efficient use of public resources
Our Commitment
Accountability, transparency and openness are achieved by adopting measures that ensure that all activities and services are undertaken using a process that is open and accessible to our stakeholders.
Read the complete accountability and transparency policy.
Delegation of Powers Policy
Delegation of power policies are provided to increase efficiency and effectiveness of certain public services. To better serve you, city council has passed the delegation of powers and duties policy.
Integrity Commissioner
Council appointed an Integrity Commissioner to deal with requests to investigate alleged breaches of:
In addition to conducting formal Code of Conduct and Municipal Conflict of Interest Act investigations, the Integrity Commissioner also serves as an advisor on appropriate conduct and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act to individual Members of Council or Council as a whole.
Our Code of Conduct ensures that City Council conducts business in an appropriate manner. The Code also outlines the process for informal and formal complaints. Formal complaints regarding alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct or section 5, 5.1 or 5.2 of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act must be submitted in writing by an identifiable individual directly to the Integrity Commissioner, John Mascarin, Aird & Berlis LLP. The Integrity Commissioner's Office can be reached at:
C/O Meghan CowanTelephone: 416-865-4722
Email: mcowan@airdberlis.com
Details about the complaint process for alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct and Municipal Conflict of Interest Act are readily available within the Code of Conduct itself. For additional information regarding complaints involving breaches of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, refer to section 8 of the Act.
Conflict of Interest Registry
The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act requires the municipality to maintain a public registry as of March 1, 2019 of all pecuniary interests declared by members of Council and members of the Committee of Adjustment. The registry must include the original written declaration provided by the member and must be available to the public. A chart of the declarations is available online and a full registry, including the written statements, is available in the Clerks Office at City Hall.
Closed Meeting Complaints
The City of Woodstock holds the vast majority of its meeting in open session and members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend. In some cases the meetings are closed to the public as the matter falls under one of the discretionary exceptions in Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001. If you have a complaint about a meeting being closed to the public, you can submit a complaint form to the City Clerk who will then forward it, along with any other required information, to the Closed Meeting Investigator for investigation.
Complaint Reports
We're committed to sharing the outcome of investigations into complaints about accountability and transparency matters.
- January 13, 2011 - Closed meeting investigation report
- September 19, 2014 - Closed meeting investigation report
- May 6, 2021 - Closed meeting investigation report
Petitions
Input from the public helps staff and Council make informed decisions about the services delivered to the public. Public feedback allows the City to better understand the views, perspectives and needs of our community. The guidelines provided below offer helpful tips to citizens who are considering circulating a petition requesting Council take a particular stance or action. A sample petition has been prepared to help citizens with ensuring the appropriate format and information is shared on the petition.
Petitioners are strongly encouraged to review the information below relating to Personal Information and Public Access to Petitions.
| Petition Guidelines | ||||
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Petitions should: Be addressed to the Mayor and Council and signed by at least two people. Identify the Principal Petitioner initiating the petition, including their address, phone number (email is optional), who will serve as key contact should the petition require any communication or follow-up action by the City of Woodstock. Be respectful and temperate language. Contain legible printed names accompanied by original signatures and address of all signatories on physical petitions. Provide names, addresses and valid e-mail address for digital petition. Be free of erasures or interlineations in its text (i.e., the text of a petition may not be altered by erasing words, crossing out words, or adding words or commentary). Include page numbers on each page, including the total number of pages. Clearly disclose on each page of the petition a written statement regarding the public nature of petitions and that information contained in the petition will be made available, as a public document, at both a City Council meeting, and at the City Clerk’s Office for public inspection. Petitions must not: Contain offensive, defamatory, or disrespectful language. Relate to human resources (e.g., personnel), litigation or potential litigation matters. |
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| Submitting a Petition | ||||
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Petitions will be received in paper format by the Clerk at Woodstock City Hall 500 Dundas St, Woodstock, ON N4S 0A7. Electronic petitions may be submitted in PDF format to the attention of the Clerk at clerksinfo@cityofwoodstock.ca. Friday 12:00 p.m. (noon) prior to the meeting In accordance with Chapter 16 Procedure, subsection 16.2.12 of the Municipal Code, petitions received by the Clerk, that are submitted in accordance with this policy, will be provided to Council electronically by inclusion in a regular City Council meeting agenda package. In accordance with subsection 16.2.13 of the Municipal Code, petitions must be submitted to the Clerk no later than 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the Friday before the date of the Council meeting when Council is held on the Thursday and, in the event a regular Council meeting is held on a day other than Thursday, not later than 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the seventh day preceding the Council meeting date in order that it be included in the Agenda. Late Submissions - Urgent matters submitted past the deadline In accordance with subsection 16.2.14 of the Municipal Code, a petition that is received by the Clerk later than 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the Friday prior to the regularly scheduled meeting may be brought before Council, if in the Head of Council’s opinion, the matter is urgent and if a majority of Council approve the matter to be considered. |
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| Personal Information and Public Access to Petitions | ||||
| All petitions received by City Council will be included on the City’s Petition Registry on the City’s website www.woodstock.ca/petitions.
The Petition Registry will include a brief description of the Petition, the date it was received by City Council, and a link to an electronic version of the petition for public inspection. Personal information on a petition will be collected under the authority of Section 28(2) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) for the purposes of communicating and informing City Council of the views of the signatories of the petition. Personal information collected on the petition will not be used by the City for any other purpose other than to ensure it meets City Council’s requirements for a valid petition and to ensure contact with the Principal Petitioner for any communication or follow-up action as a result of the petition by the City of Woodstock. Personal information including mailing and email addresses will be redacted when the petition is included on a Council Agenda. Names and signatures of the signatories, including the Principal Petitioner, will not be redacted and will be available on the City’s website and included in the agenda package for the meeting it is to be considered by City Council. Petitions, in their entirety (i.e., unredacted), will be available at Woodstock City Hall (500 Dundas St, Woodstock, ON N4S 0A7) in the Clerk’s Office for public inspection. |
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| Woodstock Petition Registry | ||||
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