If you believe a meeting of City Council, an applicable local board, or a committee of either has been improperly closed to the public, you may request the City investigate the matter.

The City will arrange for an independent investigation by a qualified person appointed for that purpose.

If the investigator finds that a meeting was improperly closed, he or she will report that publicly to City Council or the local board and make public recommendations as he or she sees fit.

If the investigator finds that a meeting was closed properly, he or she will report that to the requester immediately.

Making a Request

1. Your request must involve an allegation that the City or local board has not followed the closed meeting provisions of:
• The City of Toronto Act, 2006
• The City's procedural by-law (where it applies),
  or
  
• The local board's procedural by-law (where it applies)


2. Your request must be for a meeting that took place on January 1, 2008 of after. This section is not retroactive to meetings that took place in 2007 or earlier.


3. Your request must involve a body covered by the investigations provision of the City of Toronto Act, 2006.


Included
• City Council
• Standing Committees
• Special Committees
• Community Councils
• Advisory Committees
• Most local boards

Excluded
• Toronto Police Services Board
• Toronto Public Library Board
• Toronto Hydro
• Toronto Community Housing Corporation
• Enwave
• Various City pension boards


4. Please put your request in writing (or use the online form) (PDF format) and include the following information:
• Name and address of person or organization requesting the investigation
• In the case of an organization, the name of a contact person
• Contact information (phone, fax, email) of the person making the request
• The circumstances of the closed meeting (date, time, location, committee or board, etc.)
• The reasons you believe a closed meeting was not in compliance with the Act or the applicable procedural by-law.


5. Mark your request "Confidential" and mail or deliver your request to:
   Closed Meeting Investigation Requests
   c/o City Clerk's Office
   City of Toronto
   12th floor, West Tower, City Hall
   100 Queen Street West
   Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
   OR
   *FAX your signed request to 416-392-2980.
   
   *Fax Alert : Sending personal information by fax is not a secure means of transmission. It is recommended you complete and return the form by regular mail.



6. Be sure to sign your request. We cannot accept anonymous or unsigned requests.

How your request will be processed

1. We will forward your request to an independent investigator.



2. The investigator will evaluate your request.



3. If your request meets the appropriate criteria, the investigator will gather all of the facts associated with the circumstances. You may be contacted by the investigator for more information.
• The investigator has statutory powers of investigation, including the ability to extract testimony under oath and the power to examine all records relating to the closed meeting.


4. If the investigator finds that a meeting has been improperly closed to the public, he or she will:
• Report his or her findings publicly to City Council or the local board
• Make any public recommendations he or she sees fit to address the circumstances
• Provide a copy of his or her findings and recommendation to the requester


5. If the investigator finds that the City or local board acted properly in closing the meeting, the investigator will:
• Report his or her findings to the requester
• Count the request in a statistical summary of requests in his or her public annual report


6. The investigator is required to submit his or her findings within 30 days of the request.



7. The investigator has the power to decide not to investigate a matter because of lack of jurisdiction or if he or she believes the request is without merit. If he or she does so, the investigator will advise the requester of his or her decision.



8. The investigator's records will be kept confidential and are not subject to freedom of information requests. However, the investigator is permitted by law to disclose any information he or she considers necessary to support his or her findings or recommendations.

Links to legislation and procedure bylaws

• City of Toronto Act, 2006
  See sections 190 for meeting rules
• City of Toronto Procedural Bylaw (Chapter 27, Toronto Municipal Code)
  See sections 27-37 and 27-38 for closed meeting rules
• Procedural By-laws of Selected Local Boards
  Coming soon

If you can't find the information you are looking for in these links, please contact us at clerk@toronto.ca