Moved by: Mayor Brown
Seconded by: Regional Councillor Santos
Whereas Section Part 5 of Ontario’s Municipal Act entitled “Accountability and Transparency”, provides mandatory and optional instruments available to municipalities to demonstrate responsible government to their citizens;
And Whereas, the City of Brampton has fully implemented the mandatory instruments of accountability and transparency, such as Council’s Code of Conduct, and the City’s Integrity Commissioner;
And Whereas, the City of Brampton has fully implemented one of the optional instruments related to accountability and transparency, such as the Lobby Registry;
And Whereas, as per Section 223.13 of the Municipal Act, the legislation also permits the City of Brampton to appoint a Municipal Ombudsman as another option to increase accountability and transparency;
And whereas other Ontario Big Cities like Ottawa and Toronto have adopted this model.
And Whereas, Section 223.14(3) of the Municipal Act aligns with Section 19 of the Ombudsman Act, which describes the Municipal Ombudsman’s powers and the performance of duties;
Therefore, Let it Be Resolved, that the City of Brampton direct staff to independently investigate the formation of a City of Brampton’s Office of the Municipal Ombudsman, reporting directly to Council;
And That, staff report back to Council on the Office of the Municipal Ombudsman in terms of policies, governance, reporting structure, budget, including a comparison with other similar municipalities;
And That, staff report back to Council as soon as possible.